A Star Wars Fairy Tale: Return
by starwenn
Summary: It's the beginning of the end, as we finish our tale with rescues, escapes, chases, ogres, True Love, miracles, and Ewoks. But first, we begin in the Enchanted Woods, where things are not as they were before...


**A Star Wars Fairy Tale: Return**

Rating: PG-13 (violence, mild language, sexual content)

Pairings: Han/Leia

Disclaimer: The franchise belongs to George Lucas and the Walt Disney Company. I just got back into this fandom after more than a decade away and decided I wanted to play, too.

Notes: One of the many inspirations for _Star Wars_ was beloved fairy and folk tales. I decided to go back to the source, so to speak. Among the stories I'm borrowing ideas from are "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," "Beauty and the Beast," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Little Mermaid," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," "Rumpelstiltskin," "The Girl Without Hands," and "Robin Hood."

Notes 2: This is based around the Original Trilogy, though a few characters from _Star Wars_ _: Rebels_ and the prequels have cameos.

Once upon a time, in a world very far from ours, lived a princess without a kingdom and a knight without hands. Young Force Knight apprentice Luke Skywalker left his training prematurely (and against the wishes of his teachers) in order to rescue his friends Princess Leia Organa and Han Solowolf. Alas, he arrived too late to save them. Han had been put under a sleeping spell by Leia's jealous father, the half-demon Lord Vader. He sheared off Leia's long hair to keep her from healing Han. Luke tried to fight Vader, but was no match for the seasoned war lord and lost his sword and his right hand in battle. He was in turn saved by Leia, the servants Cecil and Arthur, and huntsman-turned-nobleman Lando Calarissian.

When we last left our heroes, Calarissian and the Wookie Stallion Chewbacca were riding off towards the Kingdom of Tatoon in search of the carriage that carried the slumbering Han Solowolf to the greedy Ogre King Jabba. During their duel, Vader revealed to Luke that he was his son, making Leia Luke's sister. Having discovered their true relationship, the siblings now traveled in the gypsy cart the Falcon to the Dagobah Swamps to gain answers from one of Luke's teachers, the wise goblin sage Yoda.

Where Leia was concerned, the trip was nothing but a pain in the rear end...and not just because Han really needed to have the driver's seat re-padded. The Enchanted Woods had gone insane. The once-beautiful green trees were now lifeless black hulks that clawed at the Falcon and grabbed at anything they could get their limbs on. The colors seemed to have bled out of the plant life. The delicate, pastel flowers were gone. The glowing polka-dot mushrooms were slimy and blackened. Everything around them seemed to painted in deadened shades of black, white, and gray.

The general malaise affected the animals, too. Squirrels threw nuts at them and at each other. Wolves and wild boars growled and squealed at them, glaring at the cart and its occupants with menacing gold eyes. The tiny blue and green lights that once lead them through the darkness were replaced by a blackish haze that often made it difficult to see more than a few centimeters in front of one's nose.

Luke was trying to fight off one of the trees with his one good hand. "I really wish I had my sword," he complained. "I'd be able to take down these branches with one chop."

"If you had more than one hand," his sister reminded him. For her part, Leia had been trying to guide their horse Tauntaun around the flora that seemed determined to knock them off the road. Arthur the Blacksmith leaned out of one of the cart windows, hacking at every branch with Han's ax. Cecil the Butler stayed hidden in the cart as much as possible.

Leia saw Arthur's fingers fly as Cecil leaned out the window, pulling away just in time to avoid a bramble of thorns with stickers as sharp as needles. "I agree with Arthur. Not to be blunt, but just what in the name of the Alliance of the Seven Kingdoms is going on? I don't remember the Woods ever behaving quite this badly before!"

Leia rubbed her head. She'd had a major headache ever since they'd driven into the Woods. "I think it's Vader's doing. Vader's or his master's. I feel the influence of dark Force magic."

Luke nodded, looking more serious than she'd ever seen him. "I feel it, too. The negative energy is affecting everything. That's why the animals are so angry. They can sense it. So can the trees and the flowers and the plants. The darkness has taken control."

"Well," said Leia with all the determination she could muster, "I'm not going to let it control us. We just need to find our way out."

"Pardon me, Your Highness," Cecil began, "but when _are_ we going to find our way out? Neither Arthur nor I have seen so much as a sign in days. I'm starting to think we're lost."

Luke sighed. "I hate to admit it, Leia, but he's right." He rubbed his temples, trying to ignore the throbbing between them. "I've been trying to talk to Master Yoda with the Force, but it's like thinking through my aunt's Spiced Cactus Heart Soup. I can't break through the mud in my head."

Leia rubbed her head again. "You've been feeling the same way?"

He nodded. "Ever since we started through the woods."

She winced, pain coursing through her head. "And it's been getting worse the further along we've gone." Luke nodded, the pain showing in his own gentle face. "We have to get out of here." She flicked the reins harder. "Whatever dark magic has taken over the Woods may be too strong for both of us to handle, especially in the condition we're in."

That was when they heard wings swishing in the distance. Leathery wings that rubbed against each other, swaying in the thick mist that now enveloped the Woods. The brother and sister knew the sound of those wings, knew who they belonged to.

Luke recoiled. "It's him. He found us."

Leia flicked the reins harder, ignoring the pounding in her temples. "Come on, Tauntaun! We have to outrun him. I won't let him toss us in yet another tower!"

They'd come to what appeared to be murky light at the end of the tunnel of ebony brushstrokes when an enormous, scaly figure swooped low over the Falcon's roof. It landed directly in the center of the path, its outstretched wings easily blocking the view from both sides.

"Children," Vader hissed. "You have come to me."

Leia's dark brown eyes glared hot molten lava at the unholy creature before her. "Get out of our way, Vader," she snarled. "Unless you want an arrow in the other wing!"

He turned to Luke, ignoring his sister for the moment. "Son, the three of us could rule together as one, a family united. You don't know the power of the Dark magic. You'll be able to crush your enemies, take whatever you want, make anyone you want yours."

Leia climbed out of the carriage, holding Han's Endorwood longbow and arrow level with the demon's rippled chest. "Vader, get it through your thick skull. All I wanted was Han and my home, and all Luke wanted was his family. The Empire stole everything from us. We won't let you take our freedom, too."

Her anger only provoked a cruel smile. "Very good. Use your anger. Let go of your hatred. You're closer to embracing the dark magic than you think."

"No!" Luke jumped off, his blue eyes wide. "Leia, don't give in! Don't listen!"

Vader inched closer. "Your powers are strong. Under my master's tutelage, they could be stronger. Strong enough to break the ogre's hold on your adored wastrel."

Leia's bow didn't waver. "Han isn't a wastrel. He's a good, kind man." Luke raised his eyebrows at her. "Ok, he is a wastrel, but he's MY wastrel, and I won't let you use him or us anymore. You are no father of mine!"

The demon was prepared for the arrow she sent towards his head. He easily brushed it away in mid-flight, along with the next two she shot after them. He only had to lift his claws, and the bow went flying from her hands into his.

"I would be honored if you would join me," he said darkly.

"Never!" She launched herself at him, but he shot out at her with a red light. Luke screamed as Vader lifted the young woman into the air as if she were a rag doll. He flung her into a half-dead tree surrounded by slime-encrusted lichen. The tree's branches grabbed at her arms and legs, holding her down. A vine wound around her mouth, silencing her angry cries.

Luke was trying to reach for Vader's red and black sword when the enraged demon turned his attention to the boy. "This isn't yours, boy. Yet." A red light dragged Luke towards Vader's grasp. "Come with me, boy. I can feel the growing anger within you. Release that hate." Leia shrieked under the vines, writhing in the embrace of the branches that wrapped around her.

"No..." Luke struggled. "Father, this isn't you! You're not a monster. You're a man. There's still a man in you." 

"You are mistaken" He lifted Luke over his shoulder. "Now, I'll retrieve your sister, and we'll return to Bast Castle to begin your training."

"Mistaken, _you_ are, Anakin Skywalker." That was when Luke saw the light. A small beam of bluish light appeared in the end of the tree tunnel. He saw a familiar green goblin waddling down the path. The two wolves by Vader's side glared at the tiny figure. "Take these two young people away, you will not."

"That is not my name." Vader sneered at the figure. "Master Yoda. I thought you died when we purged the White Knights from the Kingdoms."

"Resilient, I am. I bounce back. Underestimate me, humans do, because of my size and age." Yoda pulled a small, shining green crystal sword from his walking stick. "Fight you for the younglings, I will."

"Very well. You know I'll trounce you, you old goat." Vader concentrated. Luke was flung against the same tree as Leia. The tree limbs wrapped around both, holding them to the trunk. One of the vines snaked into Luke's mouth, cutting off his frightened bleats.

The two older combatants circled each other like vultures waiting for their prey to pass to the next world. When their sabers struck, it sent red and green sparks flying in all directions. Luke couldn't believe how agile his master was. Yoda circled and danced around Vader, avoiding his former pupil's enraged lunges and feints. He actually managed to hit Vader on his side, drawing blue-red blood and a snarl from the demon.

Vader hissed, holding onto his side. "I can see you are more than a match for me, old one." He lifted his claw. "You were lucky enough to escape the White purges. Your luck runs out here."

The moment the claws went up, the two wolves made a dash for Yoda. Luke and Leia screamed under the vines as they bit into the goblin's shoulder with their sharp teeth. The little green creature fell to the road with a startled cry.

Vader took his sword as the wolves circled him, looking for another place to bite. "I'll be taking my children with me now."

That was when the back door to the Falcon slammed open. "Arthur!" Cecil ran as fast as he could after his stubby-legged friend. "Arthur, what are you doing? We're hardly Force Knights! You could get hurt, or worse! This is no place for us!"

Arthur rushed right up to Vader, his fingers flying. Vader swung around...and his repulsive, reptilian face suddenly showed very human recognition. To the surprise of his children, his fingers flew in the familiar symbols of the Language of the Mutes. Arthur's flew back.

Cecil watched them go back and forth. "You two know each other? Arthur, how do you know him?" Arthur's twisting fingers were now directed at his gold-clad friend. "You knew him from the Seven Kingdoms' Wars? Arthur, we were together through most of that conflict. How come I don't remember him? I would certainly remember meeting a demon!"

"Arthur?" Vader's voice sounded very different. It was lighter, softer, more brittle...more human. "Arthur, is that you?" He looked over at his friend. "And Cecil? Padme's butler? What are you doing here?"

"It's a very long story, Lord Vader," Cecil began. "I'm not entirely sure this is the appropriate time or place to tell it. I don't even really recall much of it. So much seems to have simply vanished from my memory! We fled Aldran Castle with Sir Luke and Sir Kenobi when it was burned by the Sith Dragons three years ago."

Luke and Leia were even more surprised when Arthur put his short arms around Vader in a hug...and Vader started to lean into it. "Old friend..." But the gold light came back into his eyes. His children felt him strain against the darkness, the lust for power and burning anger that had trapped him. He held Arthur out...but his eyes were gazing into the Woods. "Master..." He shook his head in confusion. "I can't...I have to go." He pushed Arthur into Cecil's arms, then unfurled his wide wings and shot through the gray canopy, making for the open sky.

The moment Vader flew off, the trees released Luke and Leia, and the wolves darted back into the brush. Arthur and Cecil had already gone to Yoda's side. Luke tugged off his sleeve, using it to stop the bleeding. "We have to get him to his hut in the Dagobah Swamps. Master, can you hear me?"

"Hear you, I can, young apprentice." Yoda definitely sounded annoyed. "I do not require fussing."

Leia joined them, gathering Han's longbow in her hand on her way. "That's not what I'm seeing. You need medical attention, and you need it now."

"Directions, I can give." Yoda pointed a little claw down the road. "Hut not far. Only half of an hour."

Leia looked at him. "Between the three of us, we may have enough magic to get us there the quick way."

"Very well. Use our magic to return, we will." When Yoda closed his eyes to let the Force flow, Luke and Leia did the same. After a few minutes, a series of weak blue lights gathered around them and the Falcon. When it subsided, there was nothing remaining but a few scattered leaves and sticks.

The lights subsided in front of a crude mud hut. Leia and Cecil gently carried the little goblin into one of the two rooms, laying him on his narrow pallet. Arthur and Luke followed, Luke with Yoda's green sword. "Master, I'm so sorry," Luke was saying. "This isn't how I wanted to return to you."

"Matter, it does not." Yoda coughed as Luke brought him water from a clay jar. Cecil brought Leia bandages from the Falcon, which she wrapped around the little goblin's shoulder. "You are here. That is what counts."

"Yes, but for how long?" Leia tied the bandages off. "Vader probably knows we're here, or has a good idea of it."

"Hidden here, you are. Swamps have many powers." The small goblin coughed again, harder and rougher this time. "This is why Vader did not find me until now."

"Master Yoda," Luke started cautiously, "is Lord Vader our father?"

Yoda shuddered, then turned on his side. "Rest, I need. Yes, a rest."

"Oh, please." Leia crossed her arms. "You're just putting off telling us."

Yoda finally let out a soft sigh. "Your father, he is. Twins, you are."

"Twins?" Leia sat down next to Luke. "That explains a lot. No wonder I knew where you were back on Bespin."

The little goblin frowned. "Unexpected this discovery is, and unfortunate."

Leia glared at him. "Unfortunate that we know the truth?"

"No," Yoda wheezed. "Unfortunate, that incomplete was Luke's training...not ready for the burden, was he. Benjamin would have told you both years ago, had I let him." He looked Luke in the eye. "Confront your father again, you must."

"No!" Leia shook her head. "Why Luke? Why not you? I saw how you handled the saber back in the Woods."

"Strong tongue you have, young Leia. Very much like your father, when he was your age." Yoda frowned at her frustrated face. "Quick to anger, to judge. Always, you speak before you think." The wizened creature clutched his shoulder, coughing. "I am old and frail. Much damage, this wound has done. Sick, I was. Now, it is much worse. The darkness has come to the Woods. Stop it, I cannot." He looked up at Luke. "Stop it, you can."

Luke shook his head. "Yoda, I need to know more. I've come back to complete my training."

His master shook his head. "No more training do you require. Already know what you need."

Luke looked surprised...and unconvinced. "Then I am a Jedi."

"No." Yoda's voice whistled when he spoke. "Face your father, you must. Restore balance to the Force. Out of balance, the Woods are. That is why the darkness has fallen."

Leia frowned. "I'd suspected something like that. The Woods didn't act this way before. When Han and I were traveling here a few weeks ago, it was sunny and pleasant and warm. Now it feels like it's out to get us."

"When light is gone, the darkness falls." Yoda's voice was raspy and strained. "Luke...when gone am I, last of the Jedi will you be. Luke..." The two Skywalker siblings pulled close to him. "Luke...Leia...restore...balance...restore...l..lo..."

Yoda never finished his last words. His eyes closed before he could. Much like Sir Ben Kenobi, the moment he passed into the Force, he vanished before the eyes of the grieving quartet.

Leia put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "I'm sorry." Luke just flung himself into her arms, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Yoda will always be with you." The Skywalkers and the servants all looked up at once as a tall figure surrounded by a blue light strode into the hut. He had gentle dark eyes, long, flowing gray-brown hair, and a dark mustache and beard. "You may get tired of seeing him. I wouldn't be surprised if he kept insisting on giving advice in the afterlife. He always was stubborn that way."

Luke's face lit up, despite the tears in his eyes. "Qui-Gon Jinn? Ben told me about you. You were his master, one of the greatest Force Knights who ever lived! You taught him everything he knew. He respected you like a father."

"And I loved him like a son." He sighed. "But I don't entirely agree with what he told you, or his and Yoda's decision to separate the two of you. Benjamin and Yoda meant well, but they were always very strict in their teaching. They believed that the Jedi were infallible." The ghost sat down on Yoda's bed next to Luke. "It was my decision to train your father Anakin as a Force Knight. He was living as a slave in Tatoon with his mother when we found him. I'd never seen anyone with such strong abilities." Qui-Gon's long face lit up in a grin. "Did Ben ever tell you how your father won the Boonta Classic Carriage Race when he was only nine years old? To my knowledge, he's still the youngest person ever to accomplish that."

Luke shook his head. "Uncle Owen never really talked about my parents. He told me Father was a merchant who was killed by bandits. He wouldn't talk about Mother at all."

"I only remember a little about Mother," Leia admitted. "Uncle Bail told me she lived for about a year after Father...after Father joined the Empire, but she was never really well. She died when I was a little over a year old."

"I have no memory of Mother," Luke whispered. "I never knew her."

"You're like your mother in many ways, Luke." Qui-Gon's eyes became far-away. "In looks, she favored you, Leia, petite and dark-haired and pale-skinned." He smiled. "Looks can be deceiving. She had a will of iron...but more importantly, she had the most loving heart I ever saw. She could see the beauty in all things."

Leia frowned. "What about me?"

Qui-Gon shook his head. "You seem to have gotten your father's side. He was a sweet child, and from what little I saw, a good man...but he had a temper, and a need to see justice, no matter what the cost. He would do anything to keep those he loved from harm, even harm others."

"Master Jinn," Luke began, "do you know how to lift the curse on our father? It must be some kind of a curse. I know there's good in him. I saw how he acted with Arthur. They were friends!"

Qui-Gon shook his head. "I wish I did. Your father fell years after I died in a duel with a Black Knight. I have no idea what curse was cast on him." He nodded out back. "I do know where you can find Khyber crystals, though. If you are going to deal with your father, you'll need a weapon."

Leia frowned. "I can't believe Father is a good man. Not after what he did to Han and me at the Kingdom of the Clouds."

"He was a good child," the long-gone Force Knight admitted. "I never regretted freeing him from Tatoon. He was never meant to be a slave. I didn't know him well as an adult."

She held back as Luke went into the brush. "I want to do something for Luke." She closed her eyes, trying to fight the tears. "I can't even restore his hand. I don't have my healing powers anymore."

Qui-Gon made something long and flat appear in a blue light. "You can help in other ways."

It was a knife, a knife with a long, shining steel blade and a silver handle trimmed with turquoise jewels and intricate water-like markings. "This was your mother's, one of the treasures of Naboo. It was among the few things Yoda and the remaining Jedi were able to salvage from Naberrie Castle before Palapatine vandalized it."

"It's beautiful." Leia drew her finger along it and winced when she saw blood. "And sharp."

"Naboo crafted some of the sharpest steel in the entire Alliance." Qui-Gon nodded as she sucked on her finger. "Ben could tell you more about it." He nodded towards the edge of the mire. "You must return to his home. This is no place to forge a sword. Besides," the ghost looked concerned, "with Yoda gone, the Swamps are no longer under his protection. My powers are limited. I can only do so much to keep the darkness at bay."

Luke emerged at that moment. He was covered in dust, his one good hand was dirty, and the sling that held the stump of the other one was torn and streaked with some kind of noxious goo. Even so, he clutched a small pile of what appeared to be large, green, glowing stones in his palms. "Master Qui-Gon," he gasped, grinning ear to ear, "I found them! I had to dig for them in the clay deposits, but I found them."

"You also found a mess." Leia wiped a streak of clay from his cheek. "I'll see if your little goblin friend left any fresh water to clean up your wound and get you some fresh bandages."

Luke was too happy to fuss over Leia trying to mother him. His blue eyes roamed until they found the former Force Knight. "Thank you, Master Qui-Gon."

He bowed before them. "No, thank you for watching over Yoda in his last hours. He was a cantankerous old cur, but I'm almost looking forward to seeing him again."

"I think we'll stay here for the night." Leia readjusted Luke's sling. "Start out fresh in the morning."

Luke nodded, shivering. "I don't think there's anything else for us here."

"Qui-Gon suggested," Leia began, "that we might visit the Kingdom of Aldran. Just the fringes. Maybe your friend Ben left some material to make your sword, and there will be plenty of dry wood for a fire."

"I like that idea." The young man sighed. "I still miss Ben...and now, I have so many questions I wish I could ask him."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll answer them when you arrive." The older man finally bowed. "May the Force be with both of you."

They both bowed for him. "You too, sir," Luke said.

Leia raised her eyebrows as Jinn flickered out of sight. "I will never get used to that."

"It's hard to adjust to at first," Luke admitted. "Ben used to pop up at the most random times. He never seemed to startle Master Yoda, though." The two siblings jumped when they heard the screech of an animal piercing the gloom. "I think we'd better tell Arthur and Cecil to come inside."

His sister took his arm. "Right." Another screech, this one closer to the trees Luke had emerged from, sent the duo scrambling for the safety of Yoda's hut and the Falcon.

King Palapatine, Supreme Ruler of the Kingdom of the Empire, reclined in his gleaming obsidian throne in Bast Castle. He had once been simply Duke Sheev Palapatine, a minor nobleman and trader in Naboo. Through cunning, manipulation, and his growing dark Force magic, he had snatched the role of Prime Minister of Naboo and chairman of the Alliance of the Seven Kingdoms during the Seven Kingdoms' War. The blood spilled during the war had barely dried when he declared himself King of Naboo, now a true Empire.

He looked up as the figure in black armor knelt before his dais. "Vader," he said. "You were to bring me your children."

"I came very close, my master." The yellow eyes behind the visor gazed up at him. "They are both far more powerful than we previously believed." He clenched a fist. "Master Yoda, the oldest and wisest of all Force Knights, attacked me in the Woods. I took care of him. The children are no longer under his protection."

Palapatine shook his head. "It is of no consequence. You will no longer try to go to your children. They...or at least, your son...will come to you."

Vader was skeptical. "He will come to me? And what of my daughter? She's nearly as strong in the Force, and far angrier, especially after the loss of her lover. She may be easier to turn to our side."

"I have my own plans for the fair Princess of Aldran." Palapatine's smile was a fearful thing to behold, all sharp, pointy teeth and cruel intentions. "When your son comes to you, she will come after him...and I will take care of her." He turned to Vader. "I want you to triple the current taxes in all of the Imperial Kingdoms. Take anything possible as payment, including jewels and other fine goods. Make sure this is spread widely."

"For what purpose?"

Palapatine's smile made even his apprentice shiver with revulsion. "As bait. Soon, the Rebels In the Woods will be crushed. Your son will be your apprentice, and your daughter will be my wife. Everything is going according to my design."

Vader wasn't as certain as he went to give the orders to his men. For one thing, he wanted to teach his children about the Force, not leave it to his master. But there was also something brewing inside of him. Something he hadn't felt, or allowed himself to feel, in twenty years. Seeing Arthur again stirred so many memories he thought he'd buried.

Padme... His thoughts always returned to her, to her long curling brown hair, to the wide brown eyes and laughing red mouth. She had been his light, his joy, his happiness. The two of them and Ben Kenobi side by side before and during the Seven Kingdoms' War, an inseparable trio.

He and Padme declared their love in the Woods, right before the Jedi rescued them from the evil black wizard Dooku. The Woods were beautiful that day, all green and glowing. He remembered the rickety old cart that lead them out, Queen and knight, bound and forced to fight every dark creature the Woods could spit out...

 _You love me? I thought we decided it would be too dangerous to fall in love._

She gazed into his eyes with her warm brown ones. _That doesn't matter now. We're going to die anyway. I just wanted to let you know. You're everything to me._

She had been everything to him...but she'd died. He was a Force Knight, with the strongest powers in the kingdom, and the King of Naboo, and he couldn't keep her from dying. Not her, nor his beloved mother, who was killed by bandits in Tatoon while he was training.

He had to put them out of his mind. He had the children now. Their daughter, and the son he'd only just discovered. He wanted to train them, to show them power, but now he wondered if it was what Padme would have wanted. After seeing Arthur, he was starting to wonder if it was really what he wanted.

Leia, Luke, Cecil, and Arthur arrived at Ben Kenobi's old cottage on the edge of the Enchanted Woods a few days later. It was dusty and dirty, but otherwise seemed largely unharmed. Luke got a fire going in the small clay fireplace and weeded Ben's herb garden. Leia and Cecil cleared the tiny dwelling of dirt and mice. Arthur went out into the woods to try to set up a makeshift forge, where he could work on making Luke a new sword.

Leia hadn't been herself for days. Though she kept busy cleaning and practiced dueling with her new knife, Luke could tell she was restless. He knew a big part of her missed Han badly, missed his ready wit, strength, and warm smile. He could feel her heart ache with loss and sadness. She was missing her work with the Rebels, too. They hadn't seen any of the Rebels in months. The other Rebels probably thought they were dead.

They'd been there for three days when Leia was going through an old chest at the foot of the only bed in the cottage. It was a lovely piece, intricately carved with amazingly life-like birds and trees. She was surprised to see that the chest was filled with pieces of armor. Most of it was worn and tarnished, but a few bits shined. She pulled out one smaller piece of silvery-blue armor. It was lightweight but tough, almost rippling in her hand like waves. She was surprised when one glove fit her perfectly.

She just barely saw the blue light shimmer into view. "That was your mother's armor."

Leia nearly jumped a mile. "Sir Kenobi, please don't do that! I wish you'd warn someone when you decide you want to materialize."

"I apologize." Sir Ben Kenobi, looking much as he had the night he died (except for the shimmering blue light around him), sat down on the bed next to her. "I forgot you're not as used to ghosts appearing as Luke is."

Leia turned away from him. "I wish I wasn't familiar with it at all. I never asked for any of this. I don't want power. I want to help people. I want..." she looked down at her lap. "I want Han back."

"You can aid your lover by learning more about the Force, and your family." Ben nodded at the trunk. "Your mother gave me her armor and your father's armor for safekeeping after he was turned to the Dark Side. That's the armor she wore when she fought as Queen. All the royal women of Naboo have worn that armor, or armor like it, for generations."

"Ben?" Leia felt Luke walk into the room, well before he arrived. She always seemed to know where he was these days. It was just...instinct. "Ben, why didn't you tell me? You said Lord Vader betrayed and murdered my father."

Leia glared at the ghostly Force Knight. "You told him an outright lie," she said angrily. "He trusted you, my father trusted you, and you lied! What else have you lied about?"

Ben sighed. "You are just like Anakin, Leia. He used to fly off the handle that way, too. Questioned everything I ever said and just about everything I taught him. He would drive me crazy at times." He looked at the twins. "His anger made him an easy mark for a dark Force magician like Palapatine. He allowed him to corrupt his light Force magic in exchange for power and to make the Knights' Council respect him."

Leia turned towards her mother's armor, clearly still skeptical. "How can we believe you?"

"What I told you, Luke, was true," Ben insisted. "From a certain point of view."

Luke frowned. "A certain point of view?"

"You'll find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our point of view." Ben shifted in the bed. Even as a ghost, he was still reluctant to reveal everything his part in Anakin's downfall, particularly to his former friend's children. The wounds still felt fresh as if he was in the lava field yesterday. "Anakin was a good friend. Even as a child, he was a genius with horses and carriages, but I was amazed at how strongly the Force Magic was with him. When Qui-Gon died, I took over his training. I thought I could instruct him just as well as my old master and Yoda." His eyes seemed far-away. "I was wrong."

"There is still good in him," Luke insisted.

Ben shook his head. "He's more demon now than man, twisted and evil."

"I can't do it, Ben." Luke shook his head. "I can't kill my own father."

"How can you regard that creature as our father?" Leia snapped. "I don't want to get anywhere near him!" 

Luke turned to Ben. "Master, Leia, let me at least try to talk to him first. You saw how he was with Arthur. I think he just needs to remember the good in him and the people who still care."

The ghost looked between the two of them. "Either way, you must face your father again. Both of you. Bury your feelings deep down. They do you both credit, but they may be made to serve Palapatine."

Leia made a face and returned to riffling through the chest. "Ben, did Mother really wear this armor?"

Luke peered in. He gathered a leg piece in his one good hand. "It's beautiful!" He tried to squeeze it over his thigh, but it was too small. "Hey, it doesn't fit!"

Ben chuckled. "Yes, your mother really wore that armor. It was made for a woman's figure, Luke. Until the rise of Palapatine, the rulers of Naboo were always women."

Leia was already pulling it on, bit by bit. It fit as smooth as a glove, as if it had been made for her. "I wish Uncle Bail let me have armor like this. He said I wasn't going to be in the Royal Guards, so I wouldn't need it."

"You'll need it," Ben told her, "if you plan on rescuing Solowolf from the Ogre King."

Leia turned to Ben. "I want to find Han more than anything." She put her hand on Luke's arm. "But someone needs to heal Luke's hand first. I can't do it." She bit her lip as her hand touched the bare spot on her neck where her flowing locks had been. "Vader made sure of that."

"Luke's healing powers are just as strong." Ben's gaze turned to the younger man. "You could do it yourself, Luke. Leia, hold his hand. Even if you can't heal him, you can encourage his power."

They concentrated together. The blue light that gathered around the stump was shimmery and so bright, the two living beings had to avert their eyes from it. Even so, when it subsided, Luke was staring at the barest skeleton of a hand, bones and not much more.

"Damn it!" Leia turned away angrily. "If Father hadn't cut my hair..."

Her brother put his good hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "It'll be all right, Leia. I'll find a way to fix it, cover it with something." He smiled at her. "Why don't we have dinner, then turn in? We'll try again in the morning."

She nodded slowly. "All right." Luke watched her as she shot up, her face still frustrated. "I'll see if I can help Cecil with the soup. Maybe I can still do that."

Luke sighed as he and Ben watched her stomp into the main room. "I wish I could do something for her, Ben. She's been unhappy ever since we arrived."

"Unless you can produce Solowolf, there's nothing you can do." Ben frowned. "Her soul and Solowolf's are bound together. They quite literally need each other."

Cecil stood by the door as Luke turned to reply. "Dinner is served," the gold-clad butler said in his most official term. "Tonight's meal will include vegetable stew with fresh herbs from the garden and pears from the tree outside."

"Sounds tasty, Cecil." The young knight smiled. "Tell Leia I'll be there in a minute."

"Yes, Sir Luke." Luke chuckled as Cecil strode stiffly back into the main room. He never did lose that butler's walk of his.

He turned to comment about this to Ben...but the Force Ghost was gone. Only a small trail of blue light had been left in his wake. He sighed. "Ben...I wish I knew what to do for her," he said to the room. Neither the room nor Ben replied.

Leia tossed and turned in the blankets on the floor. Luke had wanted her to sleep in the only bed, but as she reminded him, he was the one with the injuries. He needed the relatively soft mattress more than she did at the moment. She closed her eyes, trying to sleep, but she kept thinking of Han, and the Rebels, and the night Vader took him from her. A sliver of moon glowed brightly on her as she finally dropped into an uneasy slumber...

 _She was in an enormous palace. It was dark and foreboding, filled with smoke and brambles. She wore her mother's armor and carried the silver knife. She tried to cut her way through the thorns with the knife, but they were too thick and sharp. A voice floated to her on a soft, moonlit breeze..._

" _Leia! Leia, please help me! I'm trying to find you, but I can't see...I'm trapped..."_

 _She'd know Han's gruff voice anywhere. It sounded frightened, desperate, helpless. She kept hacking away, trying to locate the sound of his voice. She opened her mouth to cry out to him, but to her shock, nothing came out. She opened it again, but couldn't produce a single sound._

 _As she slashed away at the brambles, the moonlight fell on a single figure, kneeling before three hideously ugly, slug-like creatures. It was Han, his sightless eyes blank, his handsome face yanked upwards by a wrinkly hand. They caressed him, stroked his hair and neck and ears as if he were a puppy. One of them shoved the brass ring from his neck on his finger. She was shocked when she thought she heard her own voice coming from one of the creatures..._

" _Hello, my beautiful bridegroom. You are mine now. Mine, and mine alone, bound to the hearth and ashes. You belong to me."_

" _Leia?" Han called. "Is that you?"_

 _She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs that it wasn't her, it was a monster, but her mouth continued to fail her. The moment she started towards him, she realized she was no longer wearing her armor. Instead, she was barely clad in few bits of silver and gold chains and dusty red fabric. A slimy, wrinkled arm dragged her to what appeared to a larger version of the ogresses who surrounded Han._

 _A single beam of light fell on the hand holding her. It was metal, cold and sharp. She knew that hand. She knew the voice..._

 _Forget him, daughter. He can neither see, nor hear you. He is a slave...and now, so are you. You are slaves to the darkness. Give in, my child. Give in..._

 _She recoiled as the hand came into the light...then the long, scaly arm, then the leathery wings...the long nostrils...she finally found enough voice to scream..._

She shot up, wound in the blankets. Luke, Cecil, and Arthur were all by her side, looking concerned. "Oh dear," Cecil fretted. "Your Highness, you must have had the most terrifying dream. We could hear you screaming all the way in the Falcon!"

Luke had his one good arm around her. "Leia, what happened?" He pulled her close to him. "It was about Han, wasn't it?"

She nodded, standing, gathering blankets. "I can't stay here. I have to go."

"Now?" Luke nodded at the oncoming dawn. "It's barely morning. At least eat some breakfast."

"He's right, Your Highness." Cecil patted her hand. "You can't function without a good, solid breakfast. Your father always did say it was the most important meal of the day."

She was already packing her things. "Han needs me. Who knows what that...that slug will do to him? Luke, you lived in the Kingdom of Tatoon. You heard the rumors about what King Jabba does to anyone who crosses him."

"Leia," Luke said softly, "is that really what this is all about?"

She finally stopped, her eyes on her bag. "Luke...I'm so worried. Vader blinded Han. He hurt him because of me! If I wasn't there..."

Luke took her in his one good arm. "Leia, don't do this to yourself. It wasn't your fault. It's Father, and the monster controlling him."

"You don't know Vader like I do." When she looked up at him, her brown eyes were filled with fire. "Luke, I'm going whether you like it or not. I'll go on foot. You'll need Tauntaun and the Falcon."

Her brother squeezed her shoulder. "Let's make a plan first. I need to finish my sword. Then, I'll join you. Lando and Chewbacca should already be in Tatoon, or close to Tatoon, by now." He nodded. "Take Cecil with you. I need Arthur to help me with my sword."

"Me?" Cecil gulped. "I'm not sure I'm up to tramping around in the Woods, especially with the state they're currently in."

Leia gave him her most reassuring smile. "Think of it as a mission for the royal family."

Arthur made a face, his fingers flying. Cecil glared at him. "I am NOT a coward! I'm just concerned for my well-being, that's all! I have a very delicate constitution." Arthur rolled his eyes, his fingers going even faster. "I do not always hide when there's trouble! Some of us want to keep our skins, not jump in front of every demon who leaps into the fray!" Arthur poked at Cecil's chest, then continued his miming. "All right, Mr. I'm-So-Tough, I'll prove I can be brave. I will take Princess Leia to the Kingdom of Tatoon, right under King Jabba's nose! Then we'll see who's the brave one!"

Leia and Luke both laughed. "Thank you, Cecil," Leia told him. "You don't know how much I appreciate this."

Cecil bowed before her again. "Oh, your perfectly welcome." He rubbed his stomach as a growl was heard. "But why don't we see to that breakfast first? I'm afraid my stomach would choose this time to make noises!"

Leia and Cecil were on their way as dawn was breaking over the treetops. Luke made sure they packed plenty of fruit and water to eat on their journey. The young woman kept her knife in a scabbard on her hip and carried her armor on her back. She didn't think such elaborate armor would be necessary on the journey to Tatoon, but it might be useful once they arrived.

"I'll meet you at Tatoon within a week," Luke said. "We'll see if we can find Lando when I arrive." Arthur waved, then spoke with his fingers, turning towards the retreating duo.

"Of course I'll take good care of Her Highness!" Cecil insisted to his best friend. "You take good care of Sir Luke!"

Leia hugged her brother. "I hope this works."

He gave her one of his sunny smiles. "I know it will."

Arthur was looking at Luke's newly-created bone hand as Cecil and Leia waved good-bye. His gaze turned to several old metal cups and plates on a shelf in the main room of the cottage. _Wait,_ he thought. _Metal plates...metal...hand..._

He grabbed Luke's good hand, nearly yanking him off his feet. "Arthur, what are you doing? What's your rush?" The little blacksmith stopped to gather the cups and plates. "What's all this for?" He pulled out a ruler, taking measurements of Luke's bone hand. "What's going on?" The tiny man just smiled up at him before ushering him outside, the pile of metal utensils still in his arms.

Leia and Cecil stayed on the fringes of the Kingdom of Aldran, heading towards the Kingdom of Endor. She was happy to see the Woods in this part of the Alliance had been less effected by the darkness that seemed to prevail elsewhere. The trees were still green here, and the air still fresh. Even so, she could feel the tension in the air. Yes, the scenery was beautiful, but how long would it be before the darkness spread this far? She tried not to think about it.

"Your Highness," Cecil complained after walking with only a few hours' rest a night for a week, "we must stop somewhere and refresh. I simply cannot continue at this grueling pace! Besides, we need to find a source of fresh water and something to eat. It's nearly dinnertime."

"Cecil, we can't stop anywhere." She looked around. "Endor is one of the least-populated of all the Kingdoms. I don't think any humans even live here. It's mostly small tribes of natives."

Cecil's round brown-gold eyes were raised toward the treetops. "What about those homes? They don't seem to be inhabited."

Her own brown eyes followed his, until she saw what he was looking at. The massive tree tops were ringed by an elaborate network of wooden cottages and walkways. She'd never seen anything like it. "We could try it. I know it's trespassing, but you're right that we need a place to rest."

She found a walkway made of weathered planks that lead to the forest floor. Cecil followed her as they walked cautiously towards the small village. She couldn't believe how tiny everything was! It was as if children lived here. Furnishings, weapons, utensils, clay jars, toys...all were built on a small scale. The largest barely came up to her chest, and she was considered short by human standards.

"Hello?" Leia poked her head in one of the cottages. "Is anyone home?" There was no answer. Cecil ducked around her and went in, sniffing.

"I say, Your Highness," he insisted, "this cottage has the most delightful smell coming from it." His long nose lead him to a heavy wooden table. Seven little bowls were set on the table, filled with some kind of stew. Cecil stuck a spoon in the bowl and took a taste. "Oh, Your Highness, you must try this soup! It is absolutely delicious. My compliments to the chef, whomever they are."

Leia grabbed him away. "Cecil, that's not yours!"

"I'm terribly sorry," the gold-clad servant apologized, "but I'm so hungry! We haven't eaten anything but fruit and nuts from the forest in weeks! That soup was invigorating, even if I didn't recognize the meat used..."

She gently pushed his back along. "Why don't we sit down for a minute? We'll wait and see who comes back here. If they're not friendly, we'll leave."

"I could use a bit of a load off my poor legs." Cecil sat down in the first, largest chair, but he couldn't seem to get comfortable in it. "Oh my. I'm afraid this chair is much too hard! It's all wood. Not good for one's posterior, or their posture."

Leia tried the next one. She nearly fell into the feather-filled pillow in the middle. "Ooof! This one is way too soft!"

Cecil took the last, smallest chair in the row, barely more than a stool, as Leia tried a rocking chair. "This one is rather tiny for me. I wonder if children live here?" He leaned back thoughtfully. "Perhaps they're waiting for their mother, the poor things...oh!" He leaned back too hard and fell over, breaking the stool in the process. "Oh dear, I seem to have broken this one. I didn't mean to! Maybe we can fix it..."

Leia helped him to his feet, yawning. "We'll fix it later. Right now, why don't we check out upstairs? If the owners are children, maybe they're napping."

There was only one room at the foot of the spiral staircase. It contained more weapons, mainly spears and bows and arrows, and seven beds, four on one side, three on the other. Leia ran her hands over the dirty and worn cloth bedspreads. "They aren't very clean children, are they?"

Cecil brushed a finger over a headboard. He rubbed the resulting dust off between his fingers, disgust plain on his long face. "Not at all. If they don't have a mother, they should at least encourage a maid to come in and look after them. This room is filthy, and I saw dishes in the water barrel downstairs."

Leia was so tired, she didn't care how dusty the room was. She stretched and yawned, putting down her bag and pack. "We'll clean later. Right now, I just want a nap."

Cecil put aside his own pack. "I could use for a bit of a rest myself. Just for a little while. We really should leave before the real owners return. We have rather disturbed their household."

Leia was already laying on the set of three beds. Even with her her diminutive size, her legs still poked over the end. "We'll clean up...later..." She was asleep the moment her head hit the dried leaf-stuffed-mattress. Cecil didn't even make it that far. He collapsed on the other row of beds, his long, thin legs hanging off them like corn stalks.

The young princess was grateful she was able to sleep deeply, untroubled by the nightmares that plagued her for weeks. Maybe it was the Woods. The dark energy didn't seem to have reached this tranquil land. For the first time since the night she and Han had made love, she felt at peace.

At least, until she was awoken by a sharp poke in her side. "Cecil, cut it out," she muttered, pushing something sharp and flinty away. The thing poked her again, this time harder. "I said, cut it out!" She finally opened her eyes...and found herself staring into what, at first, seemed to be two round, glittering buttons. As she focused and managed to sit upright, she finally saw that the buttons were big brown eyes, and they belonged to...a bear. A small fuzzy russet-brown bear, like the toy bears she'd owned as a child. Cute as he was, she did notice he and his six equally adorable and furry friends carried spears and bows and arrows, and they were all trained on her.

 _Hello there_ , she said in the mind of the smallest. _Who are you? I won't hurt you. I promise._

The little creature nearly jumped in surprise, chattering noisily. _How can you talk to us? Are you one of the Great Human Magicians? My mum told me they were gone from this world. We haven't seen any of the Great Human Magicians in many years._

 _Most of them are, except for my brother and me._ Leia pulled her last apple slice from her pocket. _Here. Want something to eat?_

 _Don't eat it, Wicket!_ Said the largest bear, a handsome fluffy fellow with thick tan fur. _Maybe she's one of those Dark Magicians, the ones who have been poisoning the Woods. What if she poisons you, too?_

 _I think she's nice!_ Wicket nibbled on the apple slice. A smile spread across his fuzzy face. _Ooh, I like this!_ He sat down next to her on the bed. _Do you have any more, She-Magician?_

 _I wish I did,_ Leia admitted. _That was my last apple. My friend Cecil and I are just about out of food. We didn't mean to eat your soup and break your chair, but we were hungry and tired. We had nowhere else to go._

Cecil chose that moment to groan. The other six bears hurried over to him as he poked his head out of the blanket. "Oh, my legs! I do wish these children were bigger. I may never walk right again!"

The moment the creatures saw his golden livery, they all drew back. All except for Wicket fell on their knees and began chanting. Cecil spoke to them in what sounded to Leia like their own language. "You understand what they're saying?" she asked in surprise.

"Why, of course, Your Highness!" Cecil grinned. "Remember, I am fluent in over sixty languages used in the Alliance, and..."

Leia cut him off, before he started rambling and they were there all night. "What did you tell them?"

"Hello, I think." Cecil shrugged. "I may be mistaken, given their primitive dialect, but I do believe they think I am some sort of god."

Leia stood. Wicket stood with her. "Well, then, please use your divine influence and get them to help us find Jabba's Palace."

The tall, golden butler shook his head. "I'm sorry, Princess Leia, but that wouldn't be proper."

"Proper?" she hissed, sounding very nearly like her father.

Cecil stuck his considerable nose in the air. "It's against my job description to impersonate a deity."

"Listen, you stiff-legged moron," she snarled, barely controlling her temper, "I don't care what's in your job description. While we're in this kingdom, in the home of these creatures, you do what I tell you. And that means, if someone tells you that you're a god, you say YES!" Her last words were shouted, sending Cecil back nearly a meter and all of the bears scrambling under the beds in terror.

The tall butler gulped, his eyes visibly widening. "I...I see your point, Princess Leia."

That was when Leia heard a horn go off in the distance. Wicket jumped out from under the bed. _Intruders!_

Another bear looked out the window. _It's the Bad Men. They've come to steal our trees again!_

"What?" Cecil and Leia exchanged looks. The tall gold-clad butler stared down at them. "Why would they steal your trees?"

 _They say they want money_ , Wicket explained. _We haven't any. We trade for the things we need._

 _We tried to trade with them_ , a smaller bear with grayish fur added, _but they shot at us with their bows and arrows and took some of us away!_ His lip trembled, and he looked like he might cry.

 _They killed others for their fur_ , piped up a third.

Leia leaned over the bear in the window. She could distinctly see ten Imperial troopers chopping trees and cutting brush, loading them into carts. "Apparently," Cecil translated, "these trees are sacred to the Ewoks. That's these creatures' names. They claim they speak to them."

She turned to Wicket. _If we help you, will you lead us to the Palace of King Jabba the Ogre? Endor borders Tatoon. If you don't know where he is, someone in your village might._

The little brown Ewok shuddered at the name. _Oooh, we don't like Jabba! He's mean. He cuts down trees to burn in his castle and takes our water for his bad people. Sometimes, his people will shoot at us just for fun!_

 _When we get there,_ Leia assured him, _we'll make sure Jabba never bothers you again._

The Imperial troops never knew what hit them. They were busy cutting up logs when suddenly, two Ewoks released the logs they'd tied to a cart, sending them rolling underfoot. Two more threw rocks at their helmets. Three jabbed at their legs with their spears.

Leia confronted the soldier with the most elaborate armor, holding her knife under his chin. "What are you doing in this land? This is a peaceful place. The Ewoks have no money or jewels, and this is hardly a strategic port."

The officer looked down at the very sharp silver knife and nearly went cross-eyed. "Lord Vader...ordered it. Taxes are to be tripled...in all parts of the Kingdom of the Empire. Even this one. All must pay, no exceptions."

Leia concentrated, staring hard at the man. "You will take these men back to Lord Vader and tell them you found nothing in the Endor Woods. The trees were not usable."

"I will take these men back to Lord Vader and tell them we found nothing here," the officer repeated in a monotone. "The trees were not usable."

"Good." She turned him around, sending him towards his cart. Cecil was tying up the last of his men in the back with the help of two of the Ewoks.

The little brown one hurried up to her as Leia sent the cart bouncing off into the Woods. _We got them!_ He gave her a chipmunk-toothed smile, chattering a meter a minute. _We got them all!_

 _Good work._ Leia smiled. _Why don't we go back to the trees and have some dinner? It's too late to go to Jabba's Palace now._

Another Ewok hurried over to Wicket, a big black creature with dark, snappy eyes. They chattered together for a moment before all of the Ewoks followed him. Cecil found himself swept along, protesting about this not being the proper behavior for gods.

Wicket took Leia's hand. _Come on! Wiley just told me they found something much better for dinner than soup!_

She chuckled as he dragged her back up the wooden ramp and to the main village. She had no idea what that "something better" might be...until she arrived at the largest of the meeting areas. Two Ewoks carried Lando, Luke, and Arthur, all tied to long wooden poles, to what appeared to be a huge fire pit. Two more lead Chewbacca in by ropes tied around his neck. The Wookie stallion whinnied in frustration.

Lando tried to give Leia a grin, but it came out more than a little sheepish. "Well, hello there, gorgeous! Didn't expect to see you among the baby bear set."

"Leia?" Luke looked up at her. "Can you help us? They think we're their dinner!"

Leia's eyes widened as she gazed down at Wicket. _What? You eat humans and horses?_

Wicket shrugged. _You're meat, aren't you? You don't have to worry. We wouldn't eat you. You're our guest! It isn't polite to eat a guest! Besides, you came with our god._

 _These are my friends!_ Leia protested. _The human with the yellow fur is my brother! He's all I have in the world, since the Bad Men took my mate away._

Cecil rushed up to his shorter friend. "Arthur, what are you doing here? I thought you and Sir Luke were making his new sword!" Arthur's fingers could just barely move in the thick ropes. "Could you be a little more precise? I can't understand a word you're signing!"

"Isn't there something you can do?" Leia asked Cecil. "They think you're a god. Maybe it's time you acted like one."

"Your Highness, begging your pardon, but I could never behave like a god," Cecil fussed. "I don't have any powers! They'd never believe it."

"You're wearing the gold uniform, aren't you?" Lando cut in. "That seems to be enough for them."

"Cecil," Luke started, "tell them if they don't release us, you'll become angry and use your magic."

"What magic?" Cecil asked. "I've told you, I have no powers! I couldn't possibly..."

If Luke's hands had been free, he would have seriously considered throttling Cecil at that moment. "Just tell them!" 

Cecil sat in the throne-like chair in the center of the terrace and related in the Ewok language exactly what would happen if they didn't obey him. The two largest Ewoks, one wearing an elaborate feather-trimmed leather hood, the other a bleached bird's skull, went into what appeared to be an argument. Logray, the healer in the bird's skull, was all for obeying the god. Chief Chirpa, the Ewok in the feathered hood, just wanted his dinner. Wicket tried to put in his two credits as well. Ultimately, it was the chief's word against the shaman's. The Ewoks fired up torches.

"Wait a minute!" Lando exclaimed as Chewbacca drew back in horror. "Can't we make a deal? I could play you guys for this. I have cards in my pocket. Double or nothing, what do you say?"

Luke just exchanged looks with Leia. She knew exactly what he had in mind...and she was going to help. They both closed their eyes at the same time. The moment they did, Cecil's throne slowly rose into the air, surrounded by a blue light. It whirled around, faster and faster. Lando laughed and Chewie whinnied with delight. The Ewoks scrambled for cover, running for the nearest available shelter.

The moment the blue light lowered Cecil's chair to the ground, the Ewoks rushed to the prisoners and freed them. Chief Chirpa ordered his men to bring gallons of soup for the newcomers instead. It was much safer, and certainly wouldn't anger a god!

Luke embraced first his sister, then Lando and Arthur. Chewbacca trotted over and nudged his favorite humans. Cecil stumbled over, getting hugs from all. "Thanks, Cecil," the young knight said with one of his sunny smiles.

Cecil's long face was still dazed. "Why, I never knew I had it in me."

It was when Leia felt something cold on her shoulder that she saw Luke's hand. The bone hand had been covered by one made of metal. "Luke," she began, startled, "how did you..."

He realized what she was talking about. "Oh. My hand. It was Arthur's idea. He melted down all the metal cups and plates in Ben's cottage and reformed it into a new hand. Do you like it?"

She wasn't sure. "It's very...life-like," she finally conceded. _And too much like our father's_ , she didn't add.

They talked with the Ewoks long into the night. Cecil told them how they had come there, and why they were passing through Endor. Logray stood to address the crowd. Cecil translated for those who couldn't understand animals.

 _The trees have told us of you,_ Logray began. _Ewoks are connected to the trees. They are our main source of energy, our life blood. Without trees, we would not exist. The trees tell us stories and songs of the outside world. This is how we know of the bad men who are called the Empire, and the terrible evil they do._

 _A few weeks ago,_ Chief Chirpa continued, _the trees told us the story of two lovers, a male and a female, who were blessed by the Woods. They also spoke of a kind and gentle young warrior who wished to protect them. The human monster who lead the Empire stole the male away and left his mate to fend for herself. He cut off the warrior's hand, so he could no longer fight._

"Our friend Han Solowolf is the one being held in King Jabba's Palace." Luke turned to address the group, speaking Basic so everyone would understand. "We're going to rescue him, but we need you to lead us there."

"I have to go back." Lando held out the fanciful scrolled helmet of Jabba's guards. "I've been working at Jabba's for nearly two weeks now. I'm just supposed to be one of his regular soldiers who patrol the grounds." He made a face. "I had to have some job where I wore a helmet. Boba Fett is there, too. He's been there ever since he brought Han's coffin to Jabba. I was afraid he'd recognize me. One of Jabba's boys hired me, and they're not known for being bright."

"Wait a minute." Leia went to Chewbacca. "What if I went as a huntsman? I have Mother's armor. If I kept the visor down, no one would know who I am."

"What about us?" Cecil asked. Arthur's fingers flew. "Captain Solowolf is our friend, too."

"We'll all do this together." Luke sat in a circle near the fire. Leia sat on his right, Lando on his left. "Everyone gather around. Cecil, translate for us. We have to make our plans..."

Lando left before the night was even over to rejoin his patrol. The droids went at first light to deliver the message from Luke that they were coming peacefully. Leia went with the Ewoks and Chewbacca to the edge of the kingdom, a desolate place where the last fringes of the Enchanted Woods met the vast sand dunes of the Kingdom of Tatoon. Luke said he would come in two days' time. He had someone he needed to contact first.

Leia dressed herself in her mother's armor, all gleaming and polished in the morning light. She made sure her knife was quite visible. She wanted the ruffians in Jabba's palace to know she could take care of herself. She'd heard about the court of King Jabba the Ogre. It was the most licentious, most degraded, and most sinful palace in all the Alliance.

It was also the wealthiest, outside of the Kingdom of the Empire...but only because Jabba kept the money he stole from his people for himself and his nobles. If they could, in fact, be called noble. Corruption flourished in Jabba's Palace. It was said that once you became Jabba's servant, you were his for life. He didn't release his good workers lightly. There were rumors that he even stole or bought children from other countries and raised them as servants, treating them little better than the sand under his fat legs.

She was determined that Han should be the first to flee his grasp. That disgusting creature had been allowed to flourish for far too long. It was time to take him down.

 _Here it is!_ Wicket showed her the red-stone path to Jabba's home, an enormous collection of sand-brick domes and curved entrances and elaborate, colorful tiles and sand paintings. The entire roof was covered in gold, and the palace was decorated in gold trim that glowed softly in the late morning light. All she could think was how much of that gold could have gone into feeding impoverished farmers like Luke's family, instead of into such a frivolous display of status.

Leia gave Wicket a hug. _You be careful! Don't let Jabba's people see you. I don't want you to end up as a throw rug!_

 _I won't!_ Wicket hugged her back. _You be careful, too! Don't let that mean old Jabba hurt you!_

 _I can take care of myself._ She climbed on Chewbacca's back and turned to wave to the retreating Ewoks. _Thanks again, to all of you...for everything._

 _You're welcome!_ Chief Chirpa chattered. _And if you or your friends are ever in the Kingdom of the Endor and need our help, just tell the trees. They always know._

 _I will!_ Leia watched them as they scampered off into the woods. She then lowered the visor on her helmet and turned Chewie down the road.

It was easier to gain entry to the palace than she thought. She passed herself off as Boushh, a bounty hunter from the Kingdom of the Empire, who was bringing Jabba a fine Wookie stallion to trade. Bib Fortuna was Jabba's major domo, a pale-skinned, balding man with watery, red-rimmed eyes and a slender, sharp face. He was fairly easy to manipulate into bringing her before Jabba's court.

Jabba himself proved far more difficult to negotiate with. The fleshy mud-colored ogre reclined on his enormous throne in the center of the palace. Around him sat his court, the nastiest, most degraded scum in all the Alliance. Dancing girls with long braids woven with pale-green ribbons sat chained to the throne, wearing bits of cloth and metal and little else.

She concentrated...and wasn't surprised to discover that she couldn't read Jabba's mind. She'd heard that ogres were immune to Force magic. She was rather amused to see Cecil, now wearing the fanciful gold and white robes of Jabba's court servants, rush up to the ogre's throne. "Yes, Your Highness?" He simpered.

Leia spoke in Ubese, the language the real Boushh had known. "She says she wants five thousand credits for this fine specimen of a Wookie stallion," Cecil told Jabba.

Jabba only laughed. "Even Chewbacca, the mightiest of all Wookie horses, is only worth three thousand at most," Cecil translated. "He wants to know why he must pay you five thousand."

Leia wished Jabba could have seen her smirk under her visor. It was lucky that Boushh had said to be one of the finest archers anywhere before he was killed during a deal that went wrong. She shot an arrow into the chandelier, shattering a tiny candle...and then shot another arrow into that one.

Cecil gasped. "Because that's what she'll do to you and your court if you don't give her what she wants!"

Jabba only laughed. _This woman is my kind of scum_ , he chortled, _fearless and inventive._

Cecil translated as he went on. "He agrees to your terms, Mistress Boushh. In fact, I think he quite admires your spirit."

She grinned under her visor. Luke would be coming in with help within a few days' time. For now, she had to stay on Jabba's good side long enough to find Han.

The armor-clad young woman almost literally ran into Lando and Arthur on her way to the stables with Chewie. "Lando," she whispered, "have you found where Han is yet?"

He just barely nodded. "The crystal coffin is being kept in the garden. Jabba says it's on display as a warning to anyone who doesn't make their payments." Lando wrinkled his nose. "I heard his three daughters go out there at least once a day, trying to open the coffin and kiss Han awake. So far, they haven't had any luck. No one's been able to open the crystal by the usual means."

"I'll find some way." Leia wasn't leaving without her beloved rogue. There had to be a way to break the crystal her father made and kiss Han! Luke said when he was kissed by his true love, he would awaken. She suspected that even if the ogresses did manage to open the crystal, their slimy lips wouldn't have any effect on the spell.

She waited until midnight, when all of Jabba's court was scattered around the palace, drunk from too much date wine and drugs and their own love-making. The princess stepped around the bodies, the moonlight giving her silver armor a strange, watery glow. She was so busy searching for the entrance to the garden, that she didn't realize she was being watched by a man in very familiar green armor...

The moment she entered the garden, she felt as if she'd stepped into another world. The snoring and moaning of the dark, smoky palace was replaced by long sand-brick paths lined with roses, blossoming cacti, and colorful desert blooms of every sort. Graceful date palms swayed overhead. It was like having found an oasis after being lost in the dusty desert for weeks. She could even hear water tinkling in a fountain off in the distance.

Han's coffin was nearly in the center of the garden, set amid thick brambles of blood-red desert roses. They were so dense, Leia had to hack her way through with the vines. It was a good thing she wore her armor. She lacked the tough leather-like skin of the ogresses.

Moonlight hit the coffin as she crept towards it, giving the reposing man inside a soft, gentle glow. His handsome, rugged features looked as peaceful as they did the horrible night Vader sealed him away, hoping to keep her from touching him. She recalled what Lando told her about ordinary tools not being able to break the crystal. "Maybe not ordinary tools," she murmured to herself. "It was created by magic...so it probably needs magic to open."

She concentrated on the gold lock, hoping she had enough power left to break the seal. To her delight, blue sparks appeared around the lock, quickly snapping it open. Her silver-clad hand easily lifted the delicate cover, pushing it away from the sleeping beauty within.

Every rose in the garden, every flower and cacti that was still awake, seemed to turn to the young woman as she pushed open her visor, then took Han's strong chin in her hands. They watched intently as she lifted his face to her lips for one of the most passionate, enchanting kisses the Kingdom of Tatoon had ever known.

Though only a few seconds passed, it seemed like an eternity to Leia before the familiar hazel eyes blinked and slowly opened. "Wh...where am I?" The gruff voice sounded frightened, worried.

"Jabba's Palace," she said.

Fear made his voice go up an octave. "I...I still can't see." He touched her face. "You...your voice...you can't be..."

She smiled, taking his hand in hers. "I'm someone who loves you."

"Leia!" He pulled her into another intense kiss.

"Come on." She helped him to his feet. His knees wobbled like a newborn colt's. "We have to get out of here."

Han clutched her arm. "Everything's a blur. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm not going to be much help."

She put an arm around him. "I've saved your skin before. I can do it again."

That was when they heard the laugh. It was a great, heaving bellow of a laugh, filled with wickedness. Leia groaned and pulled Han closer to her. He squeezed her torso tightly. "I know that sound."

Indeed, King Jabba himself reclined on a stone bench in front of the rose garden. With him were Bib Fortuna, Boba Fett, a very scared Cecil, and several guards. Three smaller ogres with lighter, slightly less wrinkly skin, somewhat smaller eyes, and equally large and nasty smiles were settled on either side of him in the prickly desert grass. "There he is, Daddy!" shrieked the first ogress, at least according to Cecil. "There's my husband!"

"Your husband?" the second ogress sneered. "Daddy promised him to me!"

"I'm the oldest!" whined the largest ogress. "I should have him!" 

"He doesn't belong to any of you!" Leia stepped in front of him. "I'm the one who broke the spell. He belongs with me!"

"Jabba," Han started, groping for Leia's hand to keep her from leaping at the ogresses, "look, I was on my way back when I got a little sidetracked. It's not my fault!"

"Not your fault?" Jabba snorted. "I've heard that from you before." He turned to Boba Fett and two of his guards. "Take him to the servants' quarters over the stables, until I've decided which of my daughters will have him."

"Jabba, I'll pay you triple!" Han tried to struggle, but he was still too weak from his long imprisonment. "You're throwing away a fortune! Don't be a fool!" But his protests fell on deaf ears. He was finally dragged into the palace.

Three more guards gathered Leia in their arms, taking her knife out of its scabbard. She noticed that one was Lando. "Don't worry," he whispered. "I'll make sure nothing happens."

Jabba, however, was intrigued by this spirited human. "Bring her here," he ordered. "She has rare beauty. I might keep her with my collection."

She glared at him. "I won't be one of your ornaments!"

"We shall see." He yanked her head to his, dragging his tongue over her mouth for what to him, likely amounted to a kiss. To Leia, it amounted to being coated with slime, and it was awful. "Yes, you're very beautiful. You'll be a fine prize to show off in court."

"I'm no one's prize!" she snarled.

Jabba just let out another slobber, longer this time. Cecil turned from the sight in horror. "I can't bear to watch!"

Leia was dragged into the castle and shoved into a turquoise and gold-trimmed room filled with other women, likely the harem. She was dressed in the gauzy deep-red skirts and brief copper-brown tops and jewel-and-medal-trimmed belts and baubles of the slave women of the court. The top clung to her breasts, exposing her porcelain midrift. A headdress of gold and pearls and a long, soft red-brown veil topped her short brown hair, and she wore soft boots on her feet. She winced as the woman snapped a gold collar around her neck.

"You're very lucky," the woman with the pale-green ribbons in her long braids told Leia. "It's been rumored that you've been chosen as Jabba's new favorite slave. You'll attend to him and remain by his side at all functions."

"The last thing I want is to play servant to that overgrown slug." Leia turned from the gilt-edged mirror, trying not to show her tears. "I have to get out of here. Han needs me."

The slave girl looked at Leia with shock in her eyes. "Favored lady, there is no way you can escape. Solowolf has been promised to Jabba's daughters. They have guards stationed all around the servant's quarters. His daughters attend to him themselves. He's weak as a kitten and blind as a bat, but he still has a very comely figure and a sharp mind, enough to please the ogresses."

Leia was finally brought before Jabba, tugged along on a thick gold chain. Jabba and his daughters sat on the throne in the center court room, rather noisily arguing over something. The slovenly ogre yanked her into his arms. Leia didn't like the noises he made.

"He said you're perfect," Cecil explained, his slender face turning a deep shade of crimson. "He wants to keep you as his most beautiful plaything."

She managed to wiggle out of his flabby arms. "Jabba, I need to see Han. I'll do anything if you'd just let me be with him for a few minutes."

Jabba was stroking her chin. Cecil translated for him. "He wants to know what you'll give him in exchange for an audience with Captain Solowolf."

Leia thought fast. "The armor I wore when I brought Chewbacca. It was my mother's. You can have it."

"Done." Jabba let her go. Two men in chef's uniforms handed her a basket filled with cakes and fruit and sweetmeats. "He says he was going to send a servant to bring these to Solowolf's quarters, but since you're going there, you can do it."

One of the men nudged her. She bowed low. "Yes, Jabba," she hissed, hoping he missed the contempt in her voice.

Jabba watched his new slave's shapely figure turn a corner towards the servants' quarters. He had no intention of allowing her to court Solowolf. He'd intended Han for his daughters since he'd purchased him from a drunken Corellian bandit when he was a teen. The bandit claimed to have found the boy wandering the streets after the Kingdom of the Empire attacked the Kingdom of Corellia. He'd whispered that the foundling was the half-blood child of a noblewoman and a fellow thief, who had been killed during the fighting.

Not that he ever intended to tell Solowolf he stood to inherit one of Corellia's noble houses. The binding spell made sure he'd never remember his real family or titles. Once he wed one of his girls, he would claim the Solowolf holdings in Corellia for his own treasury. Solowolf would be a slave to his spoiled daughters, keeping them amused and out of his way.

Leia knocked on the door of the servant's quarters. "Hello?" she called. "I've come from your father. I brought the evening meal for you and Captain Solowolf."

The door was flung open instantly. The three ogresses fell upon the food the moment Leia set it on the table. She hurried to Han while they bickered loudly among themselves, their table manners no better than their father's.

"Leia?" Han lay on a low, worn couch on one end of the sparsely furnished room. He now wore a sleeveless white blouse with loose red breeches and a green sash around his waist. There were heavy gold bracelets that snaked up his arm and around his wrists and a small ring in one ear. The same gold collar she was trapped in was around his neck as well, the chain attached to a hook in the wall. He reached up to touch her face. "Is it really you?"

She nodded, taking his hand and stroking it gently. "It's really me. I'm here." She put one of his palms on her smooth cheek. "Are you all right? How have they been treating you?"

Han tugged at the collar around his neck. "Like a puppy they all want to play with at once. They've been giving me stuff to make me feel better. I'm a little stronger, but I still can't see anything."

Leia ran her fingers over his hair and under the gold circlet on his forehead. "Han, we have to think of a way out, or at least a way to keep Jabba and his daughters occupied until Luke comes with more help."

Han shook his head. "I don't think there's much we can do, besides stall the ogres, and even that will only work for so long. Jabba's an ass, but he's not dumb."

Leia frowned. "I need to talk to Lando, too. There has to be a way!" She hugged him fiercely. "I swear, I will do whatever it takes to free all of us."

She was about to kiss him when a slimy hand shoved her off the couch and onto the tiled floor. The largest ogress bellowed at her. Leia didn't need a translator to tell her that her administrations to Han weren't welcome.

Han's sightless eyes widened as he grasped at the air, searching for his beloved princess. "Leia? What happened? Where are you?"

"Han, I'll come back!" She insisted as the remaining two ogresses shoved her out the door.

The next day, as soon as it was announced that a basket of food was ready for the ogresses, she made the same request of Jabba...and once again, he asked her what she'd give him. "My mother's knife," she said without hesitancy. "Made of the sharpest Naboo silver."

Lando lead her there this time. "Leia, I think I found a way out. Jabba's having a big to-do for his daughters tomorrow. He's going to announce the engagement of one of them to Han."

"Over my dead body!" Leia snapped angrily.

"Don't encourage them!" The former baron went on softly. "There's going to be a lot of guests and entertainment. It'll go right along with Luke's plan."

"That brother of mine had better show up tomorrow like he said," Leia grumbled. "I can't keep Jabba off my back much longer, and I've had nightmares about what his daughters are doing to my lover!"

"Here you are, Your Highness." Lando indicated the heavy door to the ogresses' room. "Front door service. I aim to please."

"You're very kind, Baron Calarissian." Lando leaned in for a kiss when she knocked on the door of the bedroom, then ducked in before the ogresses could lock her out. He finally shrugged and went to see if some of the female hunters would be more responsive.

The moment the ogresses fell on the goodies in the basket, Leia rushed to Han and embraced him. "I knew you'd come back," he said with one of his lazy grins. "You just can't get enough of me."

"Trouble is, neither can they." Leia nodded at the three ugly creatures stuffing chocolate-covered-dates in their wide mouths. "They're going to announce your engagement tomorrow."

"I know. They told me." He reached up to touch her face. "I have to pick one of them tonight, or else they'll turn Chewie into next week's prime rib and feed you to some monster."

"They won't hurt me. Jabba has too much of an interest in me." Han could hear the contempt dripping in her smoky contralto. "But they may hurt Chewie, or Lando, if they catch him." She leaned her head on Han's shoulder. "Luke's coming tomorrow. He said he'll bring help."

"Luke?" Han let out a short bark of a laugh. "Luke's crazy! He can't take care of himself, much less rescue anybody."

Leia sighed. "Han, he's changed. He's so much stronger with the Force. He's more like a real Knight now."

"A knight?" Han rolled his blank eyes. "I'm out of it for a little while, and everyone's getting delusions of grandeur!"

They didn't have too much longer to discuss their plans. The moment the ogresses finished the dates, they noticed Leia and Han wound in each others' arms. The largest ogress plucked Leia from Han's grip and almost literally threw her out the door.

Leia had to see Han one more time. She spent most of the next morning begging, pleading, and wheedling with Jabba to be allowed into his daughters' room. He refused. His three little girls were angry enough that she'd been allowed in there twice already and had gotten to play with their new toy.

"I'll give you whatever you want," she insisted. "Anything at all."

Jabba smirked, pulling her close to him. She winced as he slobbered on her again. "Anything but that," she groaned. The idea of Jabba pawing her, his big, cigar-like fingers roaming...no! She wouldn't even consider it.

The plump fingers moved from her tight top to her throat, fingering it. Cecil's eyes widened in shock as Jabba spoke. "The mighty Jabba says you have a very attractive voice, for a human. He wonders if you'd trade it for your last chance to see Captain Solowolf before he weds one of his daughters."

Leia's hand went to the collar around her throat. "My voice? But without my voice, how will I be able to talk to Han? He's blind. He won't know it's me."

"He says there's other ways to communicate," Cecil explained. "With a touch, or by smell."

She had no choice. She had to see him again. "I'll do it. You can have my voice. Just let me see Han."

The enormous ogre laughed heartily. Cecil brought him a blue glass bottle from a shelf to his right. "You're to open your mouth and sing for him," he said. "Frankly, I wish you wouldn't. I'm so frightened for you!"

"I'll be all right." She opened her mouth to perform the same Aldran folk song she'd sung in the Death Tower, so long ago. She gasped as Jabba caressed her throat. A yellow light floated from her mouth into the the blue glass bottle. The moment the light ended, Jabba corked the bottle and set it back on the shelf.

"He wishes for you to sing again," Cecil explained. "Perform the same song you did before."

Leia opened her mouth...but this time, not a sound emerged. She tried again, but remained silent. She could barely swallow. Her throat felt as if it were on fire.

Jabba handed her a basket. "Here," Cecil heard him say. "Take this to my daughters. But no more of this! From now on, you'll stay with me, my pet."

Leia nodded and took the basket. The tall butler watched her leave. _Something's wrong here_ , he thought. _Why would Jabba want Her Highness' voice? Surely he has no intention of becoming a singer!_

The over sized ogre reclined on his dais, stuffing another chocolate date in his mouth. "Leave me, servant. I wish to have an audience with my oldest daughter."

Cecil bowed before him. "Yes, Your Mighty-ness!" He turned to walk out the door...but instead of leaving, he hid himself in a shadowy recess behind a group of sandstone collumns. He made it just in time. Grishane, the largest and oldest of Jabba's girls, waddled into her father's chambers just as Cecil pulled his feet in.

"What do you mean by letting that skinny little human girl touch my future husband?" The mean yellow eyes of the ogress glared daggers at her father. "You told me one of us could have Solowolf! He's so pretty. Won't the other women in the court be jealous when I arrive at the throne room leading such a beautiful decoration?"

Jabba ignored his daughter. "Have a date. They really are delicious. Brought fresh from the Kingdom of Jakku yesterday."

"But Daddy!" Grishane's ear-splitting whine echoed off the bright blue walls. "You promised!"

"And I'll keep that promise." He pulled a green bottle off the shelf. "I know it's a bit of an insult, but it's the only way to fool Solowolf into believing you're the girl he's stupidly smitten with." He turned to her. "You're going to become human. Just for a few days."

"What? But humans are skinny and small!" she complained. "Especially the one my pet keeps drooling over."

"It'll only be for a few days. Just long enough to convince Solowolf that you're her." He mixed a little of a reddish powder in a clay jar into the bottle. "Then I'll make her my queen. She'll never be allowed to leave my quarters again."

"And Solowolf will never be allowed outside of my quarters!" She let loose with one of the ogres' hideous bellows.

"Here." Jabba handed her the bottle. "Drink this."

She did so...and nearly spit the brownish liquid back out again. "Eeewww! Daddy, it tastes nasty! Couldn't you have put some fruit flavoring in it or something?"

"You're a grown ogre. You can take your medicine without fancy flavoring."

Cecil put a hand over his mouth as Grishane's shape slowly changed. The ogress screamed as her fat limbs lengthened and became more slender. Short brown hair grew from the top of her head. Her fingers became longer and thinner, and she developed toes and ankles. The one thing that never changed were her eyes, which remained a smoky dark yellow. Except for her eyes, she was the spitting image of Princess Leia!

"Do I have to be human?" Grishane whined. Her voice hadn't changed, either. It could still shatter every tile in the room. "They are so ugly! How do they walk on these legs? Or live without a tail?"

Even Jabba winced at the sound of her screeching. "There's one more thing." He handed her the green bottle. "You need the human's voice. Yours is, er, lovely, but not convincing."

"Oh, all right! Just for one day!" She opened her mouth. Her father uncorked the bottle, allowing the yellow light to flow into her now-slender throat.

Jabba corked the bottle. "Now, sing for me."

Grishane let out a few notes. Cecil tried hard not to gasp in shock when Leia's beautiful voice emerged. "Daddy!" she fussed. "I want my voice! Humans' voices are too thin."

"It'll have to do for now." He handed her a gold bottle. "You'll give Solowolf this at the banquet, right before he's asked to announce his bride. It'll make him forget about that silly female human of his and consider you in a new light."

"What about his sight?" Grishane wrinkled her little nose. "I want him to be able to see me when we play!"

"We'll find a way to restore it." He turned his daughter to the door. "Now, go. Spend a little time with your fiancee-to-be."

Cecil managed to duck out the door right after Grishane did. He hurried down the halls and across the main banquet hall. He had to warn Baron Calarissian and Princess Leia! There were two princesses walking around Jabba's Palace now, and one was not to be trusted.

Leia hurried to the servant's quarters as fast as she could. She did notice that one of Jabba's daughters – the big one, Grishane? - was missing, but she may have gone out to the garden or into another room. The moment she handed the basket to the two ogresses, she rushed to Han's side. He was sitting on a fringed gold silk pillow, now dressed in an even more elaborate pair of dark-blue silken trousers, wide gold sash, and matching blue and gold vest that showed off his muscular, tanned chest nicely. His arms and fingers dripped with rings, bracelets, and jewels. She was dismayed to see that the chain on the gold collar was still attached to the wall.

"Leia?" She buried her face in his strong chest. "Honey, is that you? Talk to me, Leia!" She kissed him, trying to reassure him. He ran his fingers over her pale skin, the snub nose and delicate cheeks. "Jabba wants me to pick one of his daughters today. I'm gonna tell him where he can take his damn daughters."

She nodded enthusiastically. She had to get him out of here, now that he was moving better. She'd just gone to try to get the chain off the wall when the door opened again...and to Leia's shock, she saw herself. The woman who walked in looked exactly like her, from her short, thick brown hair to her small, delicate form. The only difference was her feral smile...and her yellow eyes. Leia would have gasped if she could make any noise.

"Han, my love," the other Leia said with her voice, "I'm so glad I got here just in time!" Her sisters accompanied her. "This woman is an impostor. Just one of Fa...Jabba's slaves."

"Leia?" Han shook his head. "I don't...something isn't right here. It doesn't feel right."

The other woman took Leia's arms and shoved her to the ogresses. The princess struggled and kicked, but the ogresses were strong and easily hauled her away. "Don't mind her," Grishane purred. She ran her fingers down Han's chest. "Why don't we have some fun?"

"Leia..." He opened his mouth. Grishane put her fingers on his lips to silence them.

"Shh. Let your princess do all the talking." She pulled down his head for a rough kiss before he could protest further. "After all, if we're going to get married, we'll need lots of practice having fun." The human ogress gave him a nasty smirk he couldn't see. "You're the only hu...man I want to play with." She pulled the ring off his neck, putting it in his hand. "This will seal our engagement."

Han turned the ring over in his palm. "This doesn't feel like gold or silver. More like brass..."

"It's a ring!" Grishane slid the ring on his finger. "There." The look on her face could only be described as feral. "Now, my pet, you're bound to me forever."

Han knew, even as she pulled him to her for another rough kiss, that this wasn't Leia. It was her voice, but there was something different about it. She sounded almost petulant. And she never played this rough! He wanted to find the real Leia, but not only was he still a little wobbly, but the heavy gold chain held him fast to the wall. He couldn't leave, even if he could see the way out.

Leia wasn't able to see Han the rest of the morning. She was expected to tend to Jabba and prepare him for the banquet, and then to remain by Jabba's side. Just touching the slimy ogre made her want to gag. He kept tight hold of her gold chain, finally attaching it to a hook on his throne. Leia reclined on a silken pillow. She now wore a tight brick-red gauze skirt and skimpy top with gold fringe and jewel trim, her hair bedecked in a headdress of pearls and gold. A red veil covered most of her face but her flashing brown eyes.

Jabba pulled her close enough to smell the exotic perfumes he used to cover up his natural ogre stench. He stroked her like a kitten. "Soon, you'll learn to appreciate me, my pretty pet. I intend to keep you in my rooms as my own personal slave. No one will ever look upon your lovely face again but me." Leia struggled, but one of his men pushed her up to his boss. He gave her another slobber across the cheek, which she tried to avoid.

Cecil couldn't stand what was going on. He managed to break away from Jabba's entourage long enough to search for the Baron, hoping that he might be able to figure out a plan. He was wandering around in the main banquet hall when he ran into a rather familiar short figure carrying drinks.

"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry! Let me help..." That was when he saw stubby fingers flying in the Language of the Mutes, and a pair of black-brown eyes he knew well. "Arthur! What are you doing here?" Arthur kept miming, indicating the cups and the tray spilled on the tile floor. He wore the same plain black and green flowing tunic, jacket, and trousers as the other male servants. Arthur's jacket seemed rather bulky to Cecil. Perhaps his friend was taking on a bit of weight. "Well, I can see you're serving drinks, but this place is dangerous! I just saw that awful Jabba the Hutt take Princess Leia's voice, and there's another ogre running around, looking like her!"

Arthur's eyebrows went up. His fingers flew again. "Magic, that's how that's possible! He took the Princess' voice, then made one of his disgusting daughters look like her. They're trying to force Captain Solowolf to wed Jabba's daughter instead of our princess." Arthur handed Cecil a tray with drinks, then returned to arguing with his fingers. "For your information, I am being useful! I'm the court translator!"

"We have to find Baron Calarissian and tell him what Jabba has planned." Arthur nodded, his fingers going even faster. "Sir Luke is coming, too?" Arthur nodded, his fingers now moving more broadly. "I know he's been training to be a knight, but even he can't save us all from this monster!" Arthur shook his head with a grin, his fingers moving in Cecil's face. Cecil just sniffed. "I wish I had your confidence."

Leia had never seen such an enormous banquet. The low table was groaning with every kind of luxurious food in the Seven Kingdoms, from sugared dates and pistachios to a whole roasted pig with an apple in its mouth. (Leia wondered if Jabba and the pig were related.) She was expected to join in the eating, but she was too miserable to enjoy the meal.

All she could do was watch Han and her double on the other side of the table. The other Leia was busy shoving dates in his mouth, running her hands over him, pushing wine at him. She sat in his lap, looking smug. He looked more dazed than anything. To Leia's dismay, he still had the gold collar around his neck. The two ogresses held the leash and barely allowed him to leave their sight.

She felt her brother's arrival well before Bib Fortuna came in to announce that a Force Knight wished to speak to His Mighty-ness. Cecil hurried over as Luke confidently strode into the banquet hall. Leia had never seen Luke look so serious. He wore the black and gold armor of a Master Force Knight under his heavy black wool cloak. He didn't appear to have a weapon on him. She wasn't sure she liked that. He was going to need one if he intended to take on an entire palace with just her help and Lando's.

"Greetings, Mighty Jabba. My name is Sir Luke Skywalker, a former citizen of your kingdom. I came for Captain Han Solowolf, Princess Leia Organa, Chewbacca the Wookie Stallion, and their two servants." Luke's sky blue eyes shimmered with a new intensity. "You'll release Her Highness and Captain Solowolf and bring the servants and the horse to me."

Luke didn't need the Force to know that the woman who shoved the gold bottle at Han wasn't his sister, even if he hadn't seen her inhuman yellow eyes. She had an ogre's mind, similar to Jabba's. He couldn't read it at all. He could read the mind of the woman Jabba held down by her arm. Leia's misery and anger was projected loud and clear under her red veil.

Leia glared at her double trying to force the liquid from the gold bottle down Han's throat. She couldn't move her body, but that didn't mean her mind wasn't working. Something wasn't right with that bottle. She lifted her hand. A small blue light slashed at the bottle. It shattered, sending brown liquid and gold glass all over the floor.

Grishane screeched as two servants tried to wipe her down. Han tried to help, but he couldn't see where he was wiping and poked her in the eyes. She roughly shoved his hands away.

Jabba only snickered before returning to Luke. "I was killing your kind when being a Knight meant something," Cecil translated glumly. "You are disrupting a joyous occasion. Your lovely Princess is about to announce her engagement to Captain Solowolf."

Luke's eyes went to the woman who was still trying clean the brown liquid off her gauzy skirt. "That's not Princess Leia. Her eyes don't look like the Princess', and she doesn't carry herself like the Princess."

"Of course I am!" The woman who looked like Leia squealed. "Who else would I be?"

Cecil couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be twice as many servants as there had been an hour ago. He swore he saw two very young servants, one with blue hair, one in pink armor, conversing with one of the ladies-in-waiting in pale-green ribbons, and a familiar head of thick black hair and bright blue eyes under a turban nod at Luke.

"Prove it to me." Luke raised his eyebrows. "The Princess of Aldran is said to have Force magic, similar to my own. I don't believe that woman has Force magic. She has some kind of magic, but not the kind that's given by the Force."

"Kid? Is that you?" Han turned his head in the direction of the sound of his best friend's voice. "What in the hell are you doing?"

"Trust me, Han." Luke backed up as the false princess finally released her handsome human doll and strode up to him. "You're not Leia," he said simply. "You walk differently than she does. More waddle, less fire."

She put her hands on her hips. "How do you know that? You're just some silly hu...silly knight! You don't know anything!"

"I know enough to recognize a trick when I see it." Luke raised his hand and concentrated. A dark blue light surrounded her. When it subsided, she was Grishane again. "Han, you almost married an ogress. Jabba turned one of his daughters into the Princess to force your hand."

She screamed with Leia's voice. "You little brat! You ruined it! All I wanted was my pet to say he'd marry me! Daddy promised me I could have him!"

"I knew it!" Han swung towards where he hoped Jabba was. "Where is she? Where's the real Leia?"

Leia started to stand, but Jabba grabbed the chain and yanked her back to her silken pillow, holding her down by her shoulder. "The foolish boy lies, Solowolf. Just listen for her voice."

"Oh no." Han shook his head. "I'm not buyin' that again. Tell me where Leia is," his fingers grappled for a knife on the table, "or I'll jam this damn thing down that fat throat of yours."

The other two ogresses yanked Han's chain, thrusting him into their arms. "You don't threaten our daddy!" the smaller one snarled.

The larger one pulled his collar close to him for a slobbery kiss. "You're ours now!"

Luke and Leia both lunged for him at once. "No!" Luke shouted. "They're not slaves!" The young knight easily used his Force magic to steal the scimitar from one of Jabba's guards.

Cecil gasped when he saw Jabba reach for a handle on his throne. "Sir Luke," he yelled, "you're standing on..." But Bib Fortuna heard him and clamped a hand over his mouth, forcing him back to the banquet table with the struggling Han and Leia.

Luke had just begun to fight with two of the guards when he felt the floor go out from under him. "Kid!" Han bellowed. "Damn it, Jabba, what did you do to the kid?" The ogresses wrapped their arms around him and held his chain tightly. Leia tugged at the stiffing collar around her neck, but it refused to budge.

"Oh no!" Cecil wailed under Bib's hand. "The tigara!"

Luke and several guards tumbled into the pit below the banquet hall. Luke threw off his wool cape as he heard a horrifying screech. A hideous two-headed creature, half-snake, half-tiger, let out an earth-shattering roar and leaped for Luke at once.

The young Force Knight didn't have much time. He tried to read the tigara's mind, but he only got one thought – hunger. It was hungry, and it didn't care about much else. He reached for one of the bones that was scattered around the room, shoving it into the monster's mouth. When the other mouth snapped at him, he hit it with another bone. The moment the creature reared back, he bolted for the nearest exit.

To his frustration, the exit was blocked by heavy iron bars and at least six of Jabba's men. Unfortunately, the tigara had gotten the bone out of its mouth. Both mouths were springing for him, lunging hard for this tiny, black-clad piece of meat.

Luke had to think fast. He grabbed another bone, a skull this time, and threw it at the mechanism that opened the trap door. The mechanism broke, sending the heavy slab of tile and sandstone down on the tigara's two heads. The creature collapsed to the floor, crushed instantly.

Jabba had never been so enraged in all his life. He bellowed orders left and right. Five of his men, including Boba Fett, brought Luke back to the banquet hall. It took three more to hold Leia on the pillow. Two guards surrounded Cecil. The three ogresses had to struggle to keep Han from trying to leap to Luke's aid, whether he could see him or not.

"Send for my firing squad!" Jabba snarled. "I'll make short work of this so-called White Knight!"

The six men who came out with bows and arrows made for the oddest set of soldiers Leia had ever seen. Two were the young servants with the blue hair and the pink armor. She swore she saw braids done in pale green ribbons poking out of a third helmet, and a small brown bun out of the fourth. The fifth was the tallest man she'd ever seen...and the sixth was one of the shortest, with rather orange-y skin. And maybe it was just her, but the one with the blue hair held a slingshot.

Jabba managed a smirk with his rubbery lips. "The mighty Jabba wishes for you to die honorably," Cecil translated with a whimper, "but if you should beg for mercy, he would be willing to hear your pleas."

"Goldenrod," Han snapped, "you tell that piece of ogre trash that he won't get any satisfaction from us!" Luke snickered, and even Leia couldn't help her grin. Their friend's declaration would have held far more weight if he'd been turned to face Jabba, rather than the wall in back of him.

"Jabba," Luke insisted, "this is your last chance. Free us, or die."

But the rubbery pile of flesh and slime only chortled. "Shoot him, men."

Leia watched tensely as the squad raised their bows and arrows...but to her surprise, and the surprise of the crowd, they turned as one and unleashed their arrows and rocks on the crowd! Explosions fired pink and blue smoke everywhere. Arthur easily dove under the arrows, tossing something shiny and silver in Luke's direction. Luke easily caught the handle of his new Force sword, which glowed a brilliant emerald against the golden and blue tiles of the banquet hall, and went after the guards.

"Watch what you're saying, you big slug!" A hand reached up and took off the pink helmet...revealing a young woman with blue-red hair. "Some of us are women!"

Cecil beamed. "Miss Sabine! And Miss Hera, and Sir Kanan, and all of you! You've come to rescue me!"

All around them, more and more servants took off helmets or turbans or veils, revealing the familiar faces of Rebel fighters. Jabba bellowed for his guards to attack them and kill every single one. Lando grinned at Luke as he took off his own helmet. "Is this the 'help' you had to go back for?"

Luke nodded. "Arthur and I ran into them on our way to the Ewoks' village. They're stationed in Sequoya Village, on the other side of the Kingdom of Endor. I told them about Han and the money Jabba stole from the people of Tatoon, and they came along to help liberate them." Luke dove into the fray, fighting with four of Jabba's guards at once and easily defeating every single one.

Lando saw Bobba Fett making for the main exit. "Oh no, you don't!" He poked his sword at Fett's green-armored back. "Sorry pal, but this was your last job."

"Wanna bet?" Fett launched arrows at him. Lando dove down, tugging at his ankles. Fett fell face-forward, landing on the former baron. The duo grappled with each other, Lando trying to keep Fett's fingers off his neck. The taller man in the green armor finally managed to send an elbow into his gut long enough to shove him away. Lando puffed hard as Fett leaped out a window and dashed across the garden to his carriage.

"Damn it," Lando groaned, managing to get to his feet. "I have to tell the others. He probably went to tattle to Vader again."

While Jabba bellowed and screamed, Leia jumped up from her cushion. She had to get rid of this foul beast, before he caused any more damage. Arthur grinned and pulled her knife out of his bulky jacket. His fingers flew. She understood the gist enough to gather that Arthur had found it in the armory and had sneaked it out before anyone noticed. She gave him a small hug and sent him towards the banquet hall to aid the others. The moment Jabba turned from her, she stabbed him as hard as she could in the belly. Jabba screamed and flailed, but he finally withered, almost melting into slime and rubbery goo under her feet.

Arthur and the little orange-skinned man came by with sharp knives that hacked through her chain after a few good blows. She pointed towards the exit. Jabba's daughters were dragging Han towards the main doors, probably hoping to at least flee with their slave. Leia and the two servants rushed out, followed by Luke and Lando.

The three ogresses shrieked at the top of their lungs when they saw Leia and the sticky knife that killed their father. The princess didn't need Cecil's translations to understand the hate and anger in their voices. "You killed him!" Grishane screeched. "You killed our daddy!"

"He brought this entire kingdom to the brink of ruin with his excesses!" Luke shot back. Having grown up in Tatoon, he spoke the language of the ogres quite well. "My family barely survived."

Grishane tugged harder on Han's golden chain. "We know something you don't know! Our slave is rich! Daddy bought him for us from some bandit. Said he found him wandering around in the streets. His mommy was a noble lady, an' his daddy was a gypsy, an' they got killed when the Empire took over Corellia. He's gonna get a lot of gold someday for being noble...and we're gonna keep it!"

Han gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain in his neck. "I knew there was somethin' Jabba wasn't tellin' me!"

Leia and Luke exchanged looks. They both nodded at Lando and Arthur, who hurried over to Han. Luke took Leia's hand, and they both concentrated at once. A blindingly blue glow overwhelmed the trio of ogresses. Their screams were drowned out by the brilliance of two minds, two hearts, working together. As the glow intensified, a yellow light floated towards Leia. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth, allowing the light to enter her throat...which no longer felt sore or scratchy.

The light attracted attention. By the time Wedge and Rogue Squadron arrived, dressed in the dark tunics and breeches of the guards, there was nothing in the center of the room but three ordinary garden slugs. Arthur had just cut the chain and collar off Han's neck when Leia hurried over to him.

"Sweetheart?" He reached up to her as she lowered to the tile floor next to him. "Is that you? The real you?" 

She took his hands and kissed him all over his dear face. "Yes, Han, it's me. It's really me. Luke and I got rid of Jabba's daughters." She grinned as Luke and Wedge went back to the banquet hall for salt to put the three slugs out of their misery. "We turned them into slugs, Han. Trust me, they look a lot cuter that way." She couldn't help the tears that slid down her cheeks. "I wish you could see it! Why did Vader to take your sight? If only my hair would grow faster..."

As she sobbed, her tears rolled onto his face and eyes. She didn't see the faint blue glow...but she felt it. She felt his hand touch her cheek, his strong fingers lace through her short-cropped hair. She held him close to her, knowing she'd never let him go again.

And that was when she heard the shock and happiness in his voice. "Leia...I can see. There's no more blur. I don't know what you did, but I'm all right!"

She opened her eyes...and his hazel-green ones gazed back, bright with tears of their own. The cloudiness was gone. In it's place were sparkling orbs that locked onto Leia's wet brown ones. "My powers," she gasped in shock. "I still have them!" She wiped her eyes, looking at the water on them. "My tears..."

Han grinned. "Not to sound cliché, sweetheart, but I think they were really in here," he touched her heart, "all the time."

Leia put her hand on his shoulder...which, to her delight, was bare. "Han, the mark's gone!"

He gave her one of his grins. "When you took out Jabba, it must have broken his spells, like what happened when Ben Kenobi died a few years ago." He managed to get on one knee. "Which means I can do something I've wanted to do for months. Before we're attacked by ogres or demons or anything else, Leia Organa, will you marry me?"

Lando and Luke exchanged grins as Leia took his face in her hands and gave him the most passionate kiss she possibly could. "How's that for 'yes?'"

Han grinned dazedly. "Uhh...what was the question?"

Luke and Lando laughed as they helped them to their feet. Han looked up at Luke with a grin. "Hey, kid, thanks for coming after me. I owe you one."

Luke gave him his sunniest smile. "What are friends for?"

Cecil hurried over. "Sir Luke, Your Highness, Lady Mothma wishes to meet you at Jabba's treasure vault. She wants to discuss how to best distribute Jabba's vast gold supplies to aid the citizens of Tatoon."

Leia put a hand around her brother's black-clad shoulders. "Luke is the man you should talk to. He lived here all his life. He knows what the people need."

Luke blushed. "I don't, really. I just can't stand to see anyone hurt or unhappy."

Han grinned and clapped his friend on the back. "Kid, I can't think of anyone who'd do better."

As Luke and Leia joined Lady Mothma, Han took Lando aside. "Lando...I have one thing to say to you about what happened in at the Kingdom of the Clouds."

Lando saw Han raise a fist and started to move back. "I told you, pal, that wasn't my fault..."

He didn't duck quick enough. Han's fist connected with his chin, knocking him to the floor. "Even now, pal?"

The former baron rubbed his sore chin as Han helped him to his feet. "Yeah, we're even." He nodded towards the hall. "Let's catch up with the other. I heard Jabba has treasures in his vault that King Palapatine would give his false teeth for."

The entire group followed Cecil to Jabba's vault. It took ten large men, including Kanan's big gray-skinned friend Zeb, to shove the heavy sandstone door aside and let everyone in.

Luke gasped. "I can't believe this!" The entire vault was wall-to-wall gold. He'd never seen so much gold. There were piles and piles of golden coins, nearly reaching the ceiling. He saw chests of jewels and necklaces and rings and shelves filled with fine gold and silver cups and plates. There were gold bars and gold cloth and beautiful gold-inlaid swords and bows.

Han let the coins chink through his fingers. "Your people ain't gonna just be eatin' better." He grinned at Luke. "You're gonna be the richest grain farmers in the Seven Kingdoms!"

Arthur's fingers flew, his face plastered with a huge grin. "Arthur says that the armory is even more heavily laden with treasures, including more gold armor and weapons. Her Highness' mother's armor is there as well."

Lady Mothma joined them. She was a tall, graceful woman of middle years, with short dark-red hair and the long white and gold robes of the court of the Kingdom of Chalindra. She was followed by her closest generals, including Madine and Rieekien. Leia went to her first. "Lady Mothma!" She curtsied. "Thank you for coming to help us. We can't thank you enough for arriving when you did."

The elegant older woman nodded. "You're welcome, Your Highness. We've heard stories and rumors about King Jabba's gold hoard, but his palace was always too heavily-guarded to attempt to liberate it. Thanks to Commander Skywalker's knowledge of the area and Baron Calarissian's familiarity with Jabba's ways, our people were able to infiltrate his palace and replace his servants."

She took two of the gold coins in her palm. "Commander Skywalker and Lady Syndulla's groups will see that most of this is returned to the people of Tatoon. We'll keep some of the gold for our own needs." She turned to the group gathered behind her. "We'll need it. The Empire has tripled the taxes in the kingdoms they govern. We believe they have some greater purpose in mind for it. Not only have they tripled taxes, but they're taking possessions from those who don't have the credits to pay."

Madine, a small, fierce Corellian with thick gingery hair and a ginger-colored beard, nodded. "Our Bothan spies have discovered that the money is being gathered in Bast Castle. The castle is heavily guarded, even more so after Commander Skywalker and Captain Solowolf freed Her Highness several years ago."

"We'll discuss our plans further at Sequoya Village." Lady Mothma turned to Leia with a small smile. "Your Highness, how did you convince those little Ewok bears we were friendly? I've read about these primitive cultures. I was certain they would string us up with apples in our mouths, but they actually helped us find Jabba's palace."

Leia chuckled and looked at Cecil, who gave her a knowing smile. "Let's just say we have an understanding with them."

Han put an arm around her as General Madine's men started to load a few chests of gold onto a bearer. "Hey Your Worship, we have an engagement to celebrate. Not to mention the fact that I just discovered I'm not poor. Why don't we get out of these rags and see if we can liberate Jabba's wine cellar?"

She shook her head. "We'll have time enough for that and to claim your inheritance after we invade Bast Castle." She grinned, running her fingers down his mostly-bare chest. "You're missing something." She concentrated. His beloved black leather vest appeared in her hand in a blue light. "You left this in the Kingdom of the Clouds."

He eagerly slid out of the blue silk vest. "Hey, thanks, Your Worship! You don't know how much I missed this." He sighed, looking down at her lovingly. "You don't know how much I missed you, and Chewie, and everybody."

Arthur's fingers flew. "Arthur says we'd best leave this...this place," Cecil translated. "There may still be guards or members of the court who will try to fight for the treasure.

Lando made a face. "Boba Fett is still at large. I tried to keep him here, but he got away. He probably ran off to tattle to Vader."

Han growled. "Figures. That guy could always escape anything."

His fiancee took his hand. "We'll stop him, Han. Together. All of us, Chewie and Tauntaun, too."

Luke put his arms around his sister and his best friend. "And if we can take down Jabba, we can take down anything."

Han clapped him happily on the shoulder. "You said it, kid." Lady Mothma smiled as the seven friends walked out of the vault together, arm in arm, heading for the armory to retrieve Leia's armor and the stables to get Chewie and Tauntaun.

As Luke, Leia, Han, Lando, and the Rebels returned to the Woods to make plans, Vader was making plans of his own. At that very moment, he was awaiting the arrival of his master, Palapatine, the Supreme Ruler of the Kingdom of the Empire. Every soldier and officer at Bast Castle stood to attention in the courtyard. The soldiers' armor gleamed. The trim on the officers' uniforms sparkled. Every man in the Empire had to look their best for the King.

An enormous black carriage trimmed with red jewels finally rolled into the courtyard, pulled by no less than ten black horses with red bridles. Two footmen in black and purple livery helped a very withered, very old man in a heavy black cloak down from the crimson plush-velvet seats. Vader dropped to his knees before him.

"Arise, my apprentice," Palapatine cackled. "How is the collecting of taxes in the Kingdoms of Sullustia and Corellia coming?"

"They have been completed, my master." The two dark-clad men started towards the throne room. "The last of the money is accounted for."

"And what of the reports of the Rebel squadrons massing around Sequoya Village in the Kingdom of Endor?"

Vader was sure his master wasn't going to approve of this news. "We have heard rumors that the Rebels delivered the Kingdom of Tatoon from the ogres. King Jabba and his daughters are not believed to have survived." He paused, knowing this news would be the most difficult for him. to hear. "My children were among those who participated in the siege of King Jabba's palace. It's said that Leia herself murdered the king when he made advances at her. The boy killed a tigara with his bare hands and helped destroy the three princesses."

Palapatine, however, smiled. "They may have done us a favor. Jabba was a disgusting swine, and the three princesses were said to be worse. That's one less problem to be concerned about." He made his way to his throne. "I've already made it known that we've tripled taxes and are gathering them by forceful means. They'll likely be here within two weeks."

Vader nodded. "And my children will come with them." He hesitated. "Master..."

Palapatine steeped his skeletal fingers. "Yes, Lord Vader?"

"I wish to train them myself. Especially the boy." Vader dropped to his knees again. "The boy needs more guidance. Obi-Wan and Yoda can no longer help him."

"You know my feelings on this matter are clear, Lord Vader." Palapatine glared hard through his black cape. "They're both to be my apprentices. As per your promise, the girl will be my bride, and a Black Sorceress. As for the boy, he'll make a fine young Black Knight. You're not a master yet. They need the instruction of a true Sith Lord."

Vader gritted his teeth under the helmet. "Yes, master."

Palapatine waved his wrist. "You may go, Lord Vader. Attend to the command teams remaining in the castle."

Vader bowed. "Yes, Master." He gritted his teeth under his helmet as he stormed towards the stables, shattering at least three pieces of furniture on his way with his powers. He never liked those side tables, anyway.

He was starting to realize just how terrible of a deal he'd made all those years ago. He'd wanted power...but what had he gained from it? He couldn't teach his own children the ways of the Force. Luke feared him; Leia hated him. His beloved Padme would weep with sorrow if she could see what he had become, and what he'd done to their family and their home.

He remembered clearly her last words to him, before he'd throttled her at the far-away volcanic Kingdom of Mufasar. He had fled there after he'd killed every child being groomed to become a White Knight in order to prove his might to his new master. She and Obi-Wan followed him. She ran to him from her personal carriage, her eyes filled with love...and shame. Shame because of the things he'd done. Shame because she loved a monster.

 _Anakin, you're going to a place I can't follow. You're breaking my heart! Please, you're a good man. Don't do this!_

He never wanted to break her heart, or hurt their daughter. He'd accepted Palapatine's proposal to help them, to make him stronger, to keep her and their child from dying. And now, he not only lost them both, but the son he hadn't even known about.

 _Leia's right,_ he thought angrily. _I'll never be anything more than a monster._

The Rebels knew nothing of Palapatine's scheming. They had returned to the Enchanted Woods in triumph. Sequoya Village was a small town on the edge of the Kingdom of Endor and the Kingdom of Aldran. Leia was surprised at all the different creatures that roamed among the tents. Ewoks chattered; Wookie horse herds pranced and leaped; humans of every size and color talked among themselves. Chewie went to his mate Malla and colt Lumpy the moment he arrived.

Wicket rushed to Leia. _You're all right!_ He patted Han's hand. _Is this your mate? He looks good and strong. Is he a great warrior?_

Leia laughed. "Yes, Wicket, this is my mate." She turned to Han, who looked rather perplexed. "Han, this is Wicket, who helped Cecil and me get to Jabba's palace. Wicket, this is Han."

Wicket threw himself into Han's arms. _Any friend of Leia's is a friend of mine!_

Han rolled his eyes as Chewie and Malla whinnied in laughter behind him. "Well, short help is better than no help at all, you two," he finally admitted. "What's your clan doing here, anyway?" Chewie whinnied louder. "Leia...called them with the Force?" He turned to her with surprise.

Leia smiled. "I called them two weeks ago. They came as soon as I told them you – and we – were in trouble." She looked down at Wicket. "What about all of you?"

 _The trees told us you needed help,_ Wicket explained. _They said your friends are good humans. They want to get rid of the Bad Humans...and we do, too! We want them to leave our trees alone!_

Han grinned at Lando, who'd traded his guard's uniform for the more dapper tan, green, and pale blue uniform of the Rebels of the Woods. "And well, look at you! I heard they made you a general." Han himself had returned to his old black leather vest, yellowed tunic, and brown trousers.

Lando chuckled. "Someone told them about my little maneuver at Tenaab City."

"Don't look at me, pal," Han insisted. "I told them you were good in a fair fight. I didn't know they were lookin' for someone to lead this crazy group."

The baron grinned at his friend. "I'm surprised they didn't ask you."

"Maybe they did, but I ain't crazy." Han shrugged. "You're the respectable one, remember?"

Lady Mothma, joined by Chief Chirpa, Attich, the head of the Wookie herds, and old Admiral Ackbar, a squid-man who had once been the head of the military in the Kingdom of Mon Calimaria, stepped to the center tent. "King Palapatine has made a critical error, and the time for our attack has come." She put a hand on Attich. "Attich and the Wookie horse clans have generously volunteered to provide mounts and trained fighters for the group who will be fighting the guards at the base of the mountains. Once the second team has lowered the drawbridge and opened the vault, the first team will be able to enter and take care of the guards inside."

Admiral Ackbar nodded at Chief Chirpa. "General Calarissian and Commander Antilles will be leading the Rebel Squadron in the castle attack."

"Good luck," Han told his friend with his famous smirk. "You're gonna need it."

General Madine took over. "The second team will enter through the main doors. We've stolen a small Imperial Battle Carriage. Disguised as a shipment of sacred wood from Endor, they'll distract the king's guards and open the drawbridge for Rogue Squadron."

Leia, now comfortably dressed in the tunic, breeches, and pale-blue vest of the Rebels, leaned over Han. "I wonder who they found to pull that off?" she asked.

To her surprise, Madine turned to Han. "General Solo, is your strike team ready?"

"My team's ready," Han began. "I need a crew and horses for the carriage." Chewie nudged him, whinnying and nodding at himself and Malla. "Well, here's two."

Leia smiled proudly at her fiancee. There was a time when he wouldn't even admit he was with the Rebels. Now, he was a leader, a true part of the whole. "General, count me in."

"I'm with you, too!" Luke joined them, leading Tauntaun. "And here's your third horse." Chewie nudged the boy, delighted to see him again.

"Where were you?" Leia asked. Her brother had disappeared into the Woods early that morning, as soon as they arrived. This was the first she'd seen of him since breakfast.

Luke only gave her one of his sunny, sweet grins. "I was having a chat in the Woods with an old friend."

"Here's five, six, and seven!" Cecil hurried over, followed by Arthur and Wicket. Arthur's fingers flew as he rolled his eyes. "I'll find something to do. I can translate you and Wicket and the other Ewoks and the Wookie horses, and they'll need someone to serve the noon tea!"

Wicket bounced up and down, squeaking happily. Cecil sniffed. "Exciting is hardly the word I'd choose."

Han even offered the Falcon to Lando to carry him to Bast Castle. "Take her! I mean it! You need all the help you can get. She's the fastest carriage in the fleet."

Lando just laughed. "All right already! I know how much she means to you. She won't get a scratch."

Han looked over his shoulder at Lando and his beloved carriage. "I got your promise. Not a scratch."

The Baron just shook his head as they headed for the carriages. "Will you just get going, you old thief?" But he was grinning as he clapped his friend on the back. "Good luck, Han."

Han smiled. "You too. And thanks for coming after me."

Lando climbed onto the driver's seat of the Falcon with his old friend Niem Numb of the Kingdom of Sullstia. "No problem."

Everyone left for the Kingdom of the Empire the next day. The Ewoks and Wookie herds sent their finest warriors. Paploo, Teebo, and most of the Ewok fighters rode in smaller carts, pulled behind the larger carriage. Wicket insisted on staying with "his" humans, especially Leia and Han. Leia thought his loyalty was adorable. Han found him to be a bit annoying. He kept getting between him and Leia.

Luke and Leia became more and more nervous the closer they got to Bast Castle. Vader was there...and they knew he'd be after them the moment they entered the doors. Han looked over his shoulder at the duo as they neared the mountain. "Ok, kids. You know what to do."

They nodded at each other, instantly understanding what the other was thinking. _How do they do that?_ Han wondered as they took each others' hands and concentrated. _Must be a Force magic thing._ Soft blue light gathered on the underside of the carriage and the horses. Malla let out a surprised whinny. She'd never been lifted by Force magic before! Chewbacca and Tauntaun calmed her. They were more accustomed to their humans' abilities by now. The carriage and the trio of horses were lifted into the air, high enough to keep the horses off the slick black crystal.

Wicket squeaked his own surprise. He'd never seen the Great Magicians at work, and it was really kind of scary...but fun, too. His friends would be so jealous that he got to fly without a glider!

Vader himself was monitoring the troops in the main courtyard when the nondescript battle carriage and the cargo carts it pulled stepped up to the drawbridge. The main officer in charge of the drawbridge saluted him immediately. Vader only nodded at the man. "Did they give you the codes?"

"It's an older code, sir, but it checks out. I was about to clear them."

He looked out of the small window to the line of carriages stretching across the mountain. The lead carriage appeared to be an ordinary Imperial cargo vehicle, followed by more primitive, older carts pulled by small Endor ponies. "Where do you come from, and what cargo are you pulling."

The driver wore muffling gray and brown scarves and a heavy brown coat, despite the warm spring weather. His smaller companion in the passenger's side was equally muffled in black and mustard-gold. Floppy hats covered their heads and hid their eyes. "Logs, kindling, and Ewok pelts, tributes from the Kingdom of Endor."

The Black Knight felt them. His children were on that carriage. His master had been correct. They'd come to him. Leia was determined to stop him and the Empire once and forever. Luke was nervous about the idea of confronting him, but equally determined to help his sister. He would have to find a way to separate them, from each other and the Rebels, and bring them to his master.

For now, he merely nodded. "Let them pass."

Outside, Han was leaning over to scratch Chewie's back. "They're not going for it."

Luke was wishing he was anywhere else. "I'm endangering the mission," he murmured. "Leia and I shouldn't have come. Vader's there. He can feel us."

"Don't get jittery, Luke." Han kept scratching Chewie. "There's a lot of officers in there." The shaggy Wookie Stallion gave Han a questioning whinny. "I don't know. Trot casual."

After what seemed like decades to Luke, but was really a few minutes, the drawbridge slowly opening, the creaking heard for miles. "All right!" Han cheered. "I told you they'd go for it."

The carts trotted in, riding past Vader and his men. Luke shrunk back, using his Force magic to at least temporarily cloak his presence. Even so, Vader seemed to be staring right at him.

The officer with Vader stopped them. "Take the wood to the storage room for the fires and for furnishings. The pelts will be taken to the tannery to the oiled."

Han nodded, turning Chewie, Malla, and Tauntaun in the direction the man indicated. As soon as they were in the courtyard, Han turned the group towards the stables. He, Leia, Luke, and Cecil helped the dozens of Ewoks out of the carts. They chattered noisily, waving their spears and bows and arrows.

Leia put a finger to her lips. "Shh! If the Empire hears you, we could be in a lot of trouble." She turned to Han. "We have to get to the drawbridge. The Ewoks will cover us."

Cecil had climbed back into the carriage. "I have decided that we shall remain here. It's safer. And anyway, you'll need someone to look after our carts and the horses."

"Actually, that's not a bad idea." Han nodded. "Goldenrod, you, Art, and a couple of the squirts stay here and keep an eye on the carts and the horses. If anything happens..." He patted Chewie's head. "Let ol' Chewie off his bridle. He'll handle them."

Luke stopped Leia as the others started out of the stables. "Leia," he said quietly, "do you remember your mother? Our mother?"

"Just a little bit," she admitted. "She died when I was two years old."

The blond Force Knight settled on a bale of hay. "Tell me about her."

"I don't remember much," Leia said as she joined him. "Just feelings, really. Images."

Luke took her hand "Tell me."

"She was very beautiful," she said quietly. "Kind and gentle...but sad. So sad. I never understood why, until recently." She sighed. "Uncle Bail knew her better. He was her half-brother. He used to tell me wonderful stories about how she and Father and Sir Kenobi fought together in the Seven Kingdoms' Wars." She sighed. "Father was so different then."

The sadness in his voice nearly broke her heart. "I have no memory of my mother, or my father. I never knew them."

Leia knew what he was leading up to. "Luke, you don't have to take on Vader just because Yoda and Sir Kenobi said to." She took his hand. "Run away! Far away! Anywhere but here. Use your powers. I'd go with you, but I have to stay with Han and the Rebels. They need me."

"No, you don't." They both stood at once. "You've always been strong. You've never run away from a fight in your life, and I'm not going to, either."

"Why does it have to be you?" Leia's tears rolled down her cheeks in a hot rush.

Luke put his arms around her. "I'm the only one who can. It's me he really wants. I'll distract him and the King, give them something else to do while you take down the drawbridge." He sighed, pulling her into a tight hug. "Besides, I can save him. I know I can. There's still good in him."

He could almost feel his sister rolling her eyes. "No, there isn't. He tortured Han and me and has done everything short of burning the entire Alliance to the ground."

"Leia, I felt it when he was speaking Arthur's language in the Enchanted Woods. He just needed to be reminded that he's loved, for more than his magic." Luke gave her a kiss on her cheek. "You take care of yourself and Han, all right?"

She nodded. "I will. And you be careful."

His normally sunny smile seemed almost sad. "Of course."

Han took her arm as he walked towards the main building. "Where's the kid goin'?"

"He..." Leia spoke quickly, wiping hard at her eyes, "he's going to deal with Vader and Palapatine and keep them distracted while we open the drawbridge."

"What? Is Luke crazy? He can't do that alone!" Han saw her tears. "Hey, are you all right?"

She wiped them away with the back of her hand. "Yes, I'm fine. I just...I want to be alone for a little while."

"You're not fine." He put an arm around her. The way Luke had a moment ago, Leia thought. "It's Luke, isn't it? I wish that kid would check his knightly impulses at the drawbridge sometimes."

"Han, just..." She buried herself into his strong arms. "Hold me."

He held her. He didn't understand any of what was going on here. He just held her like he'd never let her go.

What they didn't see was a certain figure in green armor skulking around the corner. Boba Fett smirked under his visor. Vader was going to be very interested to know that both his children were in the castle...and were planning on helping the Rebels rip him off. Not to mention, his little girl was still pretty damn chummy with Solowolf. Daddy made it clear that he didn't approve of the relationship at all. He made his way in the opposite direction towards the main building.

Luke turned himself into the first officer he saw, making sure not to reveal he was part of a group. He refused to answer any questions about how he'd gotten in or where he was from. The officer confiscated his sword and bound his wrists in chains.

Vader was in the entryway, preparing to lead the troops into battle, when the officer arrived with his son. "Here's a Rebel who surrendered to us." The officer nudged Luke forward. "He denies it, but I believe there may be more of them." The man handed Vader Luke's sword. "He was armed only with this."

The hulking man in the black armor took the sword. "Leave us please, Captain Gregory." He turned to face his son the moment he was alone. The boy's face was impassive, his blue eyes filled with determination. "I knew you'd come to me, son."

The young knight in the black and gold armor nodded. "I know, Father."

"So, you've accepted the truth."

Luke followed him as they made their way down the hall. "I've accepted the truth that you were once Sir Anakin Skywalker, my father."

Vader pointed the sword at the boy's chin. "That name no longer has any meaning to me. You will never say it again in my presence."

Those brilliant blue eyes gazed hopefully into his visor. "It's the name of your true self. You've only forgotten." Luke looked away, out a window to the spring sunshine. "That's why you couldn't turn me before, at the Kingdom of the Clouds. That's why you won't take me to Palapatine now."

His father gazed down at the green crystal sword in his hand. "I see you've constructed a new weapon."

Luke did not turn around. "I no longer use yours. I lost it."

The larger man admired the workmanship, the silver handle and the sparkling rock blade. "The craftsmanship is amazing. Indeed, you are powerful, as our King has foretold."

His son finally turned back to him. Those blue eyes were so full of hope. Just like his mother's had been, once. "Father, come with me. Come with us. You don't belong here. You're no one's slave."

Vader let out a growl, bristling so hard, his son stepped back a centimeter. "No one calls me a slave, boy. I am not a slave. I spent the first nine years of my life as a slave. I will never be one again!"

"You see, Father?" Luke found the courage to get as close to his father as he could. "You're still in there, under all that armor. I saw it with Arthur in the Woods. I just saw it now. I can feel the conflict in your heart. Let go of your hate."

The fire Luke saw in his father's passionate movements was snuffed out just as quickly as it arrived, as if he'd snuffed out a candle. "It's too late for me, son." He took Luke's arm. "I will take you to the King. He's your master now."

Luke's stomach tightened. "Then my father is truly dead."

Vader turned to a group of king's guards nearby, signaling to them. "Take the boy to the dungeons until I'm ready to deal with him." He was about to follow them towards the back of the complex when he saw another familiar figure, this one in green armor.

"Fett." He pointed his son's confiscated sword at the huntsman. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't feed you to the nearest sand trap monster. There's been reports that you let Solowolf go, not to mentioned failed to stop the siege of King Jabba's Palace."

Fett gingerly pushed the sword from his neck. "I can't tell you what your daughter is up to if I'm being digested for a thousand years."

The sword remained on his chest. "I felt her presence as well. Her magic is equally strong, but she's less foolhardy. She won't be as easy to lure as her soft-hearted brother."

Fett crossed his arms. "Leave that to me. I'll have her in His Majesty's arms within a half-hour." There was a smirk in his voice. "For a price."

"Whatever King Jabba paid you for Solowolf and his horse, double it."

"Done." Fett tapped the sword. "You might want to lower this so I can do my work. I can't abduct your daughter with a crystal sword in my chest."

Vader reluctantly and slowly lowered the weapon. "This is the last time, Fett. If you fail me, you'll suffer a punishment worse than being fed to a monster."

"As you wish." The two went off in opposite directions, Vader towards the throne room, Fett towards the drawbridge.

Leia wished the castle wasn't so damned dark and dreary. She heard it was different, once. Once, it was Nabarrie Castle, filled with light and laughter. Gold had glittered on white stone, and a sparkling fountain flowed merrily in the courtyard. Now, it was a place of darkness. Everything seemed calculated to snuff out the light, from the dry brown grass in the courtyard to black stone walls and gray battlements.

Her head hurt worse than ever. She had to focus hard to keep her mind on what Han was saying. She felt his fingers on her shoulder. "Hey, Your Worship, are you ok? Did you even hear what I said?"

She rubbed her temples. "I'm sorry, Han," she explained. "It's all the dark Force magic in this castle. It's really getting to me."

He squeezed her shoulder. "Well, as soon as we get the drawbridge open, we'll get you and Luke away from this. I promise."

The Ewoks and the human members of their group gathered in a shadowy alcove, just to the right of the drawbridge controls. The entire area was crawling with Imperial troopers, horses, and battle carriages, preparing to fight the Rebel horsemen below. "The main entrance and drawbridge are heavily guarded, a lot more than when General Solowolf and Commander Skywalker rescue me three years ago," Leia told them. "This is not going to be easy."

Lakeeta, a little brown and tan female Ewok, tugged at Leia's sleeve. _Wicket's missing! He's been missing since we got here!_

The princess only groaned. "Wonderful. Han, Wicket's missing."

That was when they saw the plump brown-furred warrior sneaking over to the battle carriages. He'd been fascinated with the carriage that brought them here and wanted to take a closer peek. The little Ewok managed to climb into a carriage and take a rein that had been left on the driver's seat. _Go, horse!_ He squeaked. _I wanna ride!_

The horse went, all right. It dashed across the courtyard, Wicket squeaking all the way. Most of the soldiers and another battle carriage followed him. Only three soldiers remained.

Han grinned. "Not bad for a fuzzball. There's only three left." He gave Leia his laziest smirk. "What were you saying about 'not gonna be easy'?"

She wanted to literally wipe that grin off his face. She settled for pushing past him haughtily. "Let's go, Sheep Herder."

He was right that taking out the rest of the guards wasn't hard. Han tapped on the first one's shoulder, luring him to the other Rebels. Leia used her power to turn the second one into a butterfly for a few minutes, long enough for him to flutter towards the main castle. The Ewoks swarmed all over the third, knocking him into the brittle grass.

There were two stout chains holding up either side of the drawbridge. Han hacked at the first with a thick ax he'd taken from Jabba's Palace. Four Ewoks helped him with their own small but sharp axes, made for cutting the sturdy, ancient trees of the Kingdom of Endor. Leia helped one of the woodsmen from Sequoya Village cut the other side.

"I've got it!" Han exclaimed in delight as the link gave another inch. "I've just about..."

That was when a white-armored hand yanked him back. The gypsy thief found himself staring at two Imperial lords and a platoon of soldiers that almost filled the entire courtyard.

The nobleman in the courtyard sneered. "You rebel scum." He shoved his sword at Han's gut.

Han was less concerned with the sword than the noble's words. He gave the man his nastiest glare, his hands on his hips. "Scum?"

The noble snatched Han's ax from his grasp. He did notice that the Ewoks seemed to have made themselves scarce. They'd vanished without a trace. "Cowards," he grumbled under his breath.

"HAN!" His face turned white as Boba Fett towed Leia from the other drawbridge chain. She was kicking and screaming at the top of her lungs. "Let me go!"

"Leia!" Han started to his betrothed, but five swords and lances blocked his way. He could only watch as Fett hit the young woman on the back of her head with the butt of his knife. She collapsed into his arms. He handed her to one of the guards clad in red armor, who carried her off to the king's chambers. "Damn it, Fett! You aren't an Imperial. You don't care about what they're doing. Why are you helping Vader?"

Fett jabbed Han from behind with his knife. "The Empire pays more." He nodded at the guardsmen. "Take him and the Rebels to the dungeons."

Han should have been worried about Lando and Wedge and the Wookie stallions who wouldn't be able to enter the castle and get into the vault. He should have been worried about what Vader and the Imperials were going to do to him and the others. He should have been worried about his own hide.

Instead, his eyes could only follow the guard carrying the unconscious Leia as they moved in the main castle.

King Palapatine was in his chambers when Lord Vader's daughter was brought to him. "Good," he cackled. "Very good." He ran his bony fingers across her cheek, smooth and pale as fine porcelain. "So beautiful...so pure. It'll be an honor to corrupt such a maiden." He looked towards the guard. "Kill Solowolf. At once. I don't want him alive another hour."

The guards simply nodded and bowed before him, their crimson capes dipping low to the dull obsidian floor beneath them. The first guard left Leia on the enormous bed made of black stone, with gargoyles in the headboards and a mattress stuffed with feather down. He dismissed them with a wave of his hand, his attention entirely on the beauty before him.

"First of all," he crooned, his fingers tugging at her plain pale blue sleeve, "these simple peasant's clothes aren't worthy of the fairest of them all. I must transform this into a gown fit for the future Queen of the Empire."

Black light washed over the sleeping princess. When the light vanished, she now wore a fine gown the color of midnight, with spidery black lace trim and tulle, transparent lace sleeves, and an enormous collar of black swan feathers that nearly dwarfed her head. A necklace of onyx and black diamonds glistened on her neck, and a spike-laden silver tiara, with a single black diamond in the center, rested in her short velvet-brown locks. Lucious black lips stood out in relief from her stark-white face.

Palapatine's fingers moved to her temples. "Now, pretty one, how to gain your favor." He concentrated, allowing the images in the girl's mind to wash over him. What he saw was sickening. "You're in love," he sneered. "Deeply in love with that gypsy thief...no." What remained of his eyebrows went up as far as they could go. "With a half-Corellian, half-gypsy nobleman. That fool Jabba tried to hide his true identity, but you two defeated him." His eyes narrowed. "You vowed to marry him after the invasion of Bast Castle." The thin lips turned up in a sneer. "No matter. This can be easily worked around."

The wizened figure turned to the gilt-edged mirror on the other side of the room. It was one of the few artifacts from the original Nabarrie Castle he'd kept. It could turn a magician into anything he chose, along as he could envision it. He'd gotten such strong images from the Princess' mind, he would easily be able to transform himself into her noble thief, at least long enough to convince her to wed him.

Lando and Wedge were having their own problems. The Imperial battle carriages had attacked almost immediately. The remaining Sith Dragons – not as many as there had been three years, but still at least thirty – swooped in a few minutes later. They burned carriages right and left.

Niem Numb, an excitable carriage driver who sported the droopy jowls and large, expressive dark eyes of the Kingdom of Sullustia, chattered nervously in his native language as he and Lando just barely missed a fire blast from a dragon. 

Lando gulped. "That was too close." Niem tugged at his friend's tan cape. Lando looked over his shoulder...and noticed that the back door to the Falcon, the one that was perpetually coming off its hinges, was gone. "Oh Force," Lando groaned. "It must have come off during the battle. Han's going to kill me. I promised him I'd take care of this rust bucket!"

Admiral Ackbar's carriage rode alongside the Falcon. "We're going to need to spread out," Lando insisted. "The dragons catch us more easily when we're together."

The old squid sounded concerned. "This close to the mountain, we won't last long against those battle carriages."

"We'll last longer than we will against those dragons," Lando insisted.

"This is a trap!" The elderly admiral wailed. "If we don't pull out, or at least move out from the mountain now, we'll all be killed."

"Admiral," Lando said determinedly, "Han will get the drawbridge down. We've got to give him more time!"

Luke could see the fight below from the dungeons where he was imprisoned. It wasn't going well for the Rebels. Carriage after carriage was either destroyed by the Imperials or burned to a cinder by the dragons. The young knight sat back against the wall, concentrating. _Emperor Dragon?_

He heard the soft, slithery voice in his mind. _Yes, Small Magician? It is time?_

 _It's time._ _The Rebels are trapped between the Black Crystal Mountain and the Imperial Army and Sith Dragons. They need your help._

 _My clan would do anything for you and the Rebels. You granted us the freedom to find a new home._

 _Then help us now. They can't take on those dragons alone._

 _It is done, Small Magician. We owe you a great debt. This will be our way of repaying you. I will gather the clan, and we will be on our way within minutes._

 _Please, hurry! I don't know how much longer they'll last._

There was concern in the Emperor Dragon's thoughts. _What of you, Small Magician? You are not fighting?_

 _No,_ Luke admitted. _I have...other things I need to do._

The screech of the cell door opening cut off his conversation. The shiny red armor of the king's guards glinted back at him. "Lord Vader requests your presence in the throne room at this time." He didn't resist as they yanked him onto his feet and lead him out of the dungeon.

Han wished this was a nightmare he could wake up from as he and the other Rebels were marched across the main courtyard, past the stables. The day was definitely not going the way he planned. He'd either be killed by a jealous half-demon or left to rot in a stinking dungeon. He'd never see the Falcon or Chewie again, or Lando, or Luke. The Rebels would be wiped out before they could get in the door. Worst of all, not only would he never see Leia again, but she would be forced to get hitched to an old guy who would probably try to make her just as crazy as he was.

He was so lost in his gloomy thoughts, he didn't hear the squeaking. There was...something...in the rafters, but he dismissed it as mice or squirrels or rabbits who took a wrong turn on their way to Albuquerque City or something. The last thing he expected to see was two forest-toned balls of fur fall belly-first onto the nearest soldier, knocking him to the ground.

"What the heck?" He didn't know how, and he probably didn't want to know, but it was raining furballs. They were leaping from windows, from places in the walls. They jabbed at the soldiers' feet and dented their helmets with their spears. They covered their eyes until they tripped over furniture. They pushed chairs in their way and threw fruit from the bowl on the table at them.

Han grinned as he heard familiar whinnies...and two soldiers went flying across the room. He took his ax back from one of the fallen soldiers and ran over to where Chewbacca and Malla kicked two more soldiers into their growing pile. He threw his arms around Chewie's neck. "Good work, boy! What took you so long?"

"General Solowolf!" Cecil and Arthur hurried over, going under more soldiers being kicked into a pile. "I know this is most unorthodox, but Wicket" he indicated the squeaking fluffball by his side, "told us that you were in considerable danger and required our assistance."

Han clapped the tall butler on the shoulder. "You were just in the nick of time, Goldenrod. I've never been so happy to see you, Art, Chewie, and a bunch of squirts in my life!"

Wicket tugged on Han's trousers, squeaking excitedly. "He says he saw one of those awful guards in the crimson armor taking Princess Leia upstairs to His Majesty's private suites."

"Damn it." Han turned to the nearest Rebel. "Commander Williams, you take the squirt army back to the drawbridge and get that open."

"Right, sir." The younger man frowned. "What about you, sir?"

He made for Chewie. "I'm going after Leia."

"But, sir..." Cecil began, but it was too late. Han climbed onto the Wookie stallion and galloped off into the castle before anyone could stop him.

Leia's eyes fluttered. Her head throbbed. She had no idea where she was. All she remembered was Boba Fett dragging her away from the drawbridge...the guards blocking Han...the angry and horrified look in his eyes...and then, an explosion of pain in the back of her head. And then, nothing.

"Leia?"

"Han?" Han leaned carelessly against a bed done in black brocade coverlets. Or at least, it looked like Han. The man before her had Han's hazel eyes and the scar on his chin, but the eyes seemed more yellowish than green, the grin feral rather than lazy. He'd replaced his usual black vest and white tunic with a black blouse opened at the chest. "Is that you?" She rubbed her head. "Fett must have hit me harder than I thought. I have the worst headache."

"Let me help you with that." His long fingers went to her temple, rubbing it. "You know, my darling, we could get married today. We could forget the world, shut everything and everyone out. It would just be you and me."

Now Leia knew something was wrong. There wasn't a hint of Han's usual teasing tone, and his eyes didn't sparkle with their usual merriment. "Darling? You've never called me that before." She tried to concentrate. "What about Luke, and Lando, and the Rebels?"

"Who cares about them?" His fingers circled round and round on her temples. "I care about you. I want you, child."

She tried to concentrate, but it just made her head hurt. "Something is wrong here. You're not my fiancee."

He continued to rub. "What makes you say that?"

She tried to reach out with her magic. "I can't feel you. Not the way I usually do...and what little I get is colder than the Kingdom of Hoth in the dead of winter. You're not my funny, joking Han. It's like you're not even human." She raised an eyebrow. "Besides, not only do you not call me 'darling,' but you've never called me a child, either. Luke yes, but I've never heard you call me that. At least, not to my face."

His voice lowered, sounded more seductive. "You don't trust me?"

"Well, yes...no..." The more she tried to use her power, the foggier her brain became. She couldn't think. "I don't know anymore."

He wrapped his arms around her. They were so cold, like long blocks of ice. Come to think of it, was Han's face always this white? "Trust me, my beautiful child. Let me handle your power. Things will be all right when it's just us. We can be happy with no one around at all, and no one to bother us. That's what you want, isn't it? What we want?"

"No..." It was so easy to give in. So easy to just let someone else do the talking. It would just be her and Han. No one else. They could get married, live in the castle, be together. She'd never have to worry again.

 _No,_ whispered that strong voice in the back of her mind. Skeletal fingers tried to thrust it back, but it just nudged its way to the front of her temples again. _This isn't Han. He wouldn't ask you to do that. He respects you, not as a magician or a princess or a politician, but as a woman. As a friend._

"We could be together...have all the power we could ever need. Just don't fight me, child. Give me control over your power."

"Power?" Her eyes were swimming. She felt more...what did she feel? Maybe she shouldn't feel. Maybe he was right. Maybe she should stop fighting...

"Yes," his voice purred, "power. We could use that power, get the others to do what we want. Get my inheritance back. Even defeat your father." He bit her earlobe, almost feral. "But you must do as you are told. I am your master now."

"Yes," she murmured, unable to resist as he pulled her close to him. He had turned her head to kiss her when she saw the mirror out of the corner of her eye. It had been hung in the center of the chamber's back wall, standing nearly to the ceiling. It was a beautiful piece of workmanship, the frame made of gilt-covered metal fashioned in intricate ravens and thorns, the glass rippling like waves in the Cerulean Lake in the Kingdom of Aldran.

What she saw in the reflection made her pause. Her beloved rogue was replaced by a skeletal being in a black cape. His bony fingers caressed her chin. Yellow eyes bored into hers. Those eyes held no love, nor had they ever known love. They only knew one thing – power.

He was so intent on his seduction, he didn't notice her fist curling. He didn't have the chance to pull back before that little fist hit him right in the nose. She dove off the bed as he tumbled head over heels to the floor.

"You bastard!" she snarled. She could see him clearly in the mirror now. "You are _not_ Han. I don't know what you are, but you're not my fiancee!"

That was when she heard the chuckles. "Good. Very good." The man she'd believed to be Han got to his feet. "Your hatred has made you strong. I knew, from before you were born, you would make an excellent black sorceress. I foresaw it. Your place and your brother's is at my side."

"Forget it." She put up her fist again. "I'm no sorceress. I'm a politician." She thought of her lost family, and of Han. Of his strength, his caring, his respect. His devil-may-care nature, and how he made her laugh. She thought of Luke and his kindness, and Lando, and Wedge, and the Ewoks, and the Rebels. "People like you and Jabba don't understand. All you see is the power, or the money. I want to help everyone – animal, human, Force magician – to live in harmony. The real power is in them."

He laughed, but it didn't sound like Han's rich laughter. It was more like a cackle. "Oh, but you're quite mistaken." He raised his big hand. "The real power is in the darkness." A dully glowing black light emerged from his fingers. It curled tightly around Leia, dragging her to him, ignoring her angry cries. "I will be your master, my sorceress. I'll show you how powerful the blackness can be. Your father is preparing to turn your brother to my side, even as we speak. "

Leia looked towards the mirror. She knew this wasn't Han, but those were his hazel eyes gazing at her, even if his smile seemed cruel and his fingers cold. The fogginess was setting in again. Her head throbbed. What was she doing? Was this really wrong? Her struggles were lessening. She could no longer see the reflection in the mirror.

Han had never ridden Chewie as fast as he did now. They galloped through the castle like a man and horse possessed, leaping over furniture and startled guards and ignoring orders to desist and reminders that horses belonged outside. He didn't need Force magic to know Leia was in trouble. He'd almost lost her twice, first to Vader, then to Jabba. He wasn't going to wait and see if the third time was the charm.

They barreled up the steep steps and through the door just in time. Han blinked almost comically for a few minutes. The last thing he expected was to see his exact double leaning over Leia, looking a lot more seductive than he ever managed to be.

Chewie's frantic whinny broke him out of the spell. He nodded at the mirror across the way. Leia's reflection in the mirror looked normal, other than that really crazy black get-up she was wearing, but his double...his double's reflection was nothing like him. Leia had called him scruffy-looking, but this guy was hideous. He looked like a dried prune in a cape.

Han didn't hesitate another minute. He jumped off Chewie, snatched the small Ewok-made ax from his belt, and slammed the blade into the mirror as hard as he could. The mirror shattered with a resounding crack, sending shards of glass and beams of black light everywhere.

The moment the other Han started screaming, Leia shoved him aside. Chewie grabbed him by the cape, swinging him back into the bed. He tumbled head-first with a gasp.

That was when Han saw the blue light. Leia held her knife right at the creature's chest. "Where is my brother, Palapatine? Where's my father?"

Palapatine was slowly rising to his elbows. "You'll never find him. Your father will corrupt him, and you will be dead."

Leia pointed the weapon further at his chest. "Tell me!"

She wasn't expecting the fiery black light Palapatine shot at her shoulder. She nicked his shoulder, instead of stabbing it the way she'd wanted to. He screamed, his chest growing spikier by the moment. Han and Chewie pulled Leia aside as the ancient sorcerer vanished in a burst of black magic.

Han pulled her gently against him. Chewie nudged her burned shoulder. "It's not bad," she insisted.

Her fiancee didn't look convinced. "I've got to get you to the nearest doctor."

"No," she breathed. "We have to get that drawbridge open, and we need to find Luke."

"First thing's first, though." He lifted her into his arms, and then on Chewie. "By the way, where did you get that outfit?"

"I'm assuming Palapatine made it appear." She grabbed a handkerchief from the side table to wipe the black lipstick off. "His twisted idea of what a Queen of the Empire looks like."

Han got on in back of her. "I like you better in white." He gently put his arms around her, trying not to jolt her bad shoulder. "You ok?"

"I will be," she said, "once we stop my father and that sick bastard from corrupting my brother." She held up the knife in her right hand, giving him a small smile. "And I get first dibs."

Chewie whinnied and shook his head at all this human love. He adored his humans, but he couldn't understand why it took them so long to figure it out. He could practically smell the sparks between them the first time he saw them together. He settled for a snort as he charged downstairs, making sure not to bounce too much and hurt Leia's bad shoulder.

"By the way," Han started as they made their way down the stairs. "What's this about Luke being your brother?"

Leia sighed. "It's a long story..."

Wedge was starting to feel hopeless. He was on foot now, his own horse having been killed by one of the Empire's bowmen. He was out of arrows and just about out of time. And the drawbridge at the castle still wasn't open.

He ran into Lando when the Falcon came careening around a corner. Lando and Niem were in better shape than their vehicle. The paint was flaking worse than ever, the left wheel was dented, there were at least four arrows sticking out of the right side, and the back door had vanished all together. Admiral Ackbar wasn't doing much better. The bubble-shaped floating carriages the squid people of the Kingdom of Mon Calimari drove were either riddled with arrows or sunk beneath the Dagobah swamp waters.

He started towards Lando when he almost ran right into at least three swords thrust at him at once. "Freeze, Rebel!" the man in the heaviest and shiniest armor said. One of the other men took his bow and arrow and knife. Another grabbed his arm. "It's over now..." And that's when they heard flapping. They all looked upwards...and at the sight that seemed to have blacked out the sun. Wedge imagined if he could see through the commander's visor, the man's eyes would be as round as saucers. "What in the hell is that?"

The moment Wedge saw them, he cheered. Those weren't just any Sith Dragons soaring in numbers so great, they darkened the sky. He recognized the largest as the dragon Luke had ridden during the Battle of Yavin Woods.

Niem Numb nearly fell off the driver's seat when he saw the dragons. He let out a series of shocked "Yeah," Lando gaped, "I think they are." He saw two of them burn Imperial carriages. Three more scooped Imperials who were attacking Rebels on foot in their claws and threw them into the Dagobah Swamps. "Yeah, old buddy." Lando gave his jittery friend the biggest grin he could manage. "I think these guys are on our side!"

The remaining Wookie stallions were frightened at first, many of them bolting into the stark black woods. Attich, however, sensed a fellow noble ruler, one not unlike himself. He galloped right up to the Emperor Dragon. _Greetings, Great Winged One._

 _Greetings, Four-Legged One_ , the Emperor Dragon replied. _You and your clan have done well._

 _Thank you, Great Winged One. We are here to aid our clan member the Solitary One._

 _We too were called to aid a human. The Small Magician with the Golden Scales once did our clan a great favor. We thought it was time we did him a favor in return._

Attich and the Emperor Dragon bowed before each other. _It seems,_ said Attich, _that perhaps not all humans are like the Dark Ones. Perhaps we can live in harmony, human and animals._

The other dragons and horses started to gather around them cautiously at first. Lando and Niem drove the Falcon up to the crowd. Tauntaun tried to nudge her way in, pushing her nose this way and that until she could get a good view. Wedge pushed his own way through.

The Emperor Dragon saw the young horseman with the black hair the moment he stepped into the group. He nudged him kindly, gently tugging on his sleeve. Wedge gulped, turning two shades of pale. "Uh, hello, dragon. Nice dragon. I'm glad you're our friends. I really wouldn't want you eating me."

More of the remaining Rebels gathered around the dragons and horses. The Emperor Dragon finally got tired of tugging at Wedge. He gently took the young man in his claws and set him on his back. "You want me to ride you?" His eyes widened. "Really?"

Other Rebels started to climb onto dragons. Those who didn't got on the remaining Wookie stallions, and carriages. The Emperor Dragon nodded at the others in his clan. When everyone was seated, the dragons began flapping their wings.

Niem Numb chattered to Lando, giving him a questioning look. Lando shrugged. "I don't know what's going on here, either, but I wouldn't argue with a dragon."

As the dragons flapped their wings, a deep blue light gathered around them. The faster and harder they flapped, the more the light gathered and spread. It spread to almost every creature in the Rebel group.

Admiral Ackbar waved to them from the enormous seahorse that pulled his carriage. "We'll stay here and hold off the remaining Imperials. You go open that vault."

Even as more magic gathered, they heard the creak. The drawbridge was finally opening at Bast Castle. Lando swore he could just barely see two familiar very tall and very short figures in gold and blue and a hoard of tiny furry bears jumping around. He grinned at Niem. "I told you they could do it!" His curly dark head turned to Wedge and the others on the dragons. "Ok, fellas, follow me. We're going to find a way up that piece of crystal if it takes us all week!"

The Emperor Dragon gently growled at Lando. _That won't be necessary, Caped Human._ Slowly, almost every single thing around them – the horses, the carriages, the dragons, the Falcon – rose into the air. _We know how to get in._

Tauntaun whinnied nervously. Niem Numb's chattering became even faster and more fearful. Lando's jaw nearly hit the ground. "What's going on? What...how..."

"I think it's the magic." Wedge loved it. He loved this sensation of being in the air. "Their magic. Luke told me they had magic." He gently grasped his scaly new friend's neck. "Come on, Your Dragon Majesty. Let's fly."

Lando found himself agreeing with Wedge as they all soared through the air. Tauntaun rode the currents like an expert. Niem held Lando's arm hard at first, but once they'd been in the sky for a few minutes, he began to relax. He tugged on Lando's shirt and pointed to some dark clouds ahead.

"What in the..." Lando frowned. "More dragons. Vader must have sent out the reserves." He saw Wedge charge ahead, with the other members of Rogue Squadron following behind. "Let's let the dragons deal with their own kind. We have to liberate that vault." He looked over his shoulder. "Hera, you come along, too. We'll need Sabine's explosives."

Sabine and Ezra were leaning out a window, grinning in dazed delight at the world far below. The girl in the colorful armor pumped her fist as Hera turned to follow the Falcon. "All right! Let's go get that vault!"

Luke never saw the dragons' arrival. He didn't even feel it. He met his father in the hallways outside the dungeons. He gave his father's mind a quick glance. Father wasn't as faithful a servant to the King as he claimed to be. He wanted to train his children himself, not let his master do it, and rule his own lands with no interference.

"Father," he said quietly, "you know that if you let go of all that darkness, you will be able to train us. Palapatine will never let you help him."

"He's my master." Vader turned on his son. "He's wise in the ways of the Dark Magic. He will show you how to wield it."

"Search your feelings," the younger man insisted. "You still have them, no matter how much you've tried to hide them. I can feel it."

"My only feelings now," said Vader, "are the ones that compel me to do my duty."

Palapatine had just appeared in a thin black light. There was a slit in the shoulder of his cape. "Good work, Vader," he said, wincing when he moved his shoulder. "Welcome, my young apprentice."

Vader handed the green crystal sword to his master. "His weapon."

"Ahh." His master turned the hilt over in his aged fingers. "Your sword. Much like your father's." He gave Luke that chilling smile. "By now, you've probably learned that your father's magic can never be purified. Soon, you will call me master, as he does."

"You're wrong," Luke insisted. "Soon you'll be dead, and so will I."

"You refer to your pitiful Rebel outlaws." The false king's nasty smile widened. "They're walking into a trap. As are your friends in the courtyard."

Luke was internally rolling his eyes. He could almost hear Han's voice in his head. _This guy is cocky AND ugly. Nice combination._ "Your overconfidence is your weakness."

Palapatine sneered back. "Your faith in your friends is yours."

Luke turned away. The evil king's sneer continued to widen. "My Sith Dragons will take care of your fleet. Almost every soldier at my disposal is already sending your so-called friends to the dungeons. The drawbridge will remain closed. I will wed your sister as soon as we're finished here." The lightsaber had begun to shake a little. "Take your father's place at my side. You know that's what must be."

The young man turned away from him again, towards the heavy, dark tapestries in the back of the room...but the green crystal sword on the arm of the throne continued to shake.

The remaining Imperial guards were not ready for flying carriages, never mind Rebel dragons. Most of the guards were just staring slack-jawed as they came to a stop by the entrance to the treasury building. Hera jumped off the driver's seat. "Last stop! Everyone off!" She opened the back door. "Anyone have to use the water closet?"

Sabine came out first. "Nope, I'm ok. I just want to blow up something."

The guards finally realized what they were seeing and were reacting accordingly. Which is to say, they were shooting and missing. Zeb, the big greyish fellow, looked positively ecstatic. "You girls take Calarissian and Numb to break open the vault. Let us blokes handle the leftovers."

"Oooh, a buckethead fight!" Ezra was nearly as happy as Zeb. "I love these."

Kanan, to Lando's surprise, pulled out a blue crystal sword. He was even more surprised to see that Ezra's crystal knife was attached to a short bow. "How many Force knights are wandering around out there?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

The older knight shrugged as he sliced a soldier's bow in half. "We don't know. To our knowledge, Commander Skywalker and the two of us are the only ones left."

"We'll discuss how they survived later." Hera was already starting down the hall, shooting arrows at two guards. Sabine threw one of her explosives at another one, filling the area with pinkish dust. "Right now, we have to get to that vault." Lando grabbed Niem Numb by his arm and rushed after her.

The vault was heavily guarded, not only by soldiers, but by secret arrows and axes that shot out or swung from the wall. Lando went behind the two women, watching them ducking and rolling under and around them. Lando and Niem handled the remaining guards, shooting them or knocking them into the arrows and axes.

To Lando's surprise, the vault itself wasn't all that impressive, just a very thick metal door. He'd seen bigger ones. Hera must have seen the look on his face. "Don't underestimate it. The Bothans said it's ten meters thick and guarded by black magic."

Sabine snorted. "Magic I can get around. The thickness may take some more work." She set up what looked to Lando like large black balls and spirals all around the door while he and Niem kept an eye on the hall.

Lando adjusted his bow as Sabine pulled back. "How's it coming, kiddo?"

"Just finished." She ran in the opposite direction. "Everyone stand back!"

Those balls seemed awfully small to Lando. "But, how...with those little things?"

Hera just grabbed Niem and Lando's sleeves and pulled them both back towards the hall. "Trust me. Sabine knows what she's doing."

Sabine had just made it back into the hall when a gigantic explosion rocked the entire castle, sending great clouds of red, blue, orange, green, and pink smoke everywhere. All four were knocked to their feet, ending up on top of each other.

Kanan, Ezra, Zeb, and the little man who had helped Arthur at Jabba's Palace came rushing down the hall, dodging the smoke. "Good grief, Sabine! How many did you use?"

Zeb was coughing loud enough to be heard in a neighboring kingdom. He swatted at the pink smoke. "I think you overdid it a bit, lass." The smaller man's fingers flew in a language identical to the one Arthur used. His more stately friend rolled his eyes. "You are not dying, Chopper. The smoke just got into your eyes, that's what. It'll be gone in a minute."

Ezra had ignored the other men. He emerged from the rapidly clearing smoke to what remained of the vault...and the entire hall around it. The boy pushed aside a few bricks, sliced a thick piece of metal with his knife, and then...saw it. Saw it glowing dully in the light of the few remaining torches. He saw the silver. "WOOHOO!" He let out the loudest, longest whoop he possibly could, then ran over to grab Kanan's hand. "You've gotta see this! The Empire's loaded!"

Kanan's jaw nearly hit the floor. What remained of the vault was larger than the entire Rebel carriage fleet and all of the Sith Dragons, good and bad, put together. It was stuffed from top to bottom with bars and coins of gold and silver, jars of precious spices, trunks overflowing with precious gemstones, gold cups and plates, and fine jewelry, armor and weapons made from pure platinum and gold, paintings by master artists that had been lost for decades, and even a whole carriage covered in gold and gems.

Ezra scrambled into the driver's seat of the carriage. "Hera, I want you to teach me how to drive this!"

Zeb's eyes were wide. "We could feed Lothal Village for centuries! We could rebuild the whole place from top to bottom!"

Hera held up a silver brick. "I could buy eight of the Ghost with one of these."

Lando grinned. "I could repair the Falcon six times over." Behind him, Niem was happily swimming in coins. Chopper gave a diamond the approximate size of his fist a hard appraisal.

"What?" Sabine picked up a painting to admire it. "You uncultured people aren't going to appreciate fine art? Not only are these gorgeous, but I'll bet there are museums out there that would pay a fortune for them!" She grinned. "And they're giving me great ideas for my own work."

Hera finally put the brick aside. "We have to go get help. It'll take days to get all this out."

Lando nodded. "Hera, you take your group and see if you can find anyone with carriages that can carry all of this. Better yet, use the gold carriage. It looks big enough for the first round."

"All right!" Ezra's shout of delight showed he totally agreed with that sentiment.

Hera was already hauling out a smaller trunk. "What about you?"

The former baron was already pulling his long-jowled friend to his feet. "We're going to go find Han and the others. I have the feeling this isn't over yet." He pulled out his bow and hurried back down the hall to the Falcon, followed by a very reluctant Niem.

"Your fleet is lost," King Palapatine continued as Luke watched the dragon battle. "Your friends in the dungeon will not survive the hour. I've already given the command for Solowolf to die the moment I wed the princess. The Kingdom of Aldran and the Kingdom of the Empire will be finally united, with me ruling both, of course."

Luke had been probing his mind for the better part of twenty minutes. He didn't like what he was finding. "You're lying. You don't know where Leia is. Or Han, for that matter."

Vader's voice showed his annoyance plainly. "You let her go?"

"I know where she is." Palapatine gave Luke his simpering smile again. "Our operative will retrieve her easily."

"She's not a pet dog who'll come when you call." Luke glared at him. "Stop treating her like she is."

"You have other concerns at the moment." The green light sword by Palapatine's arm shook even harder. "I know you want this. Use it. Strike me down. It's my mind that controls the Empire's Sith Dragons. They are under my command. If you kill me, they will back down."

Luke had never struggled so much with the darkness within. If he continued to fight that darkness, the Emperor would let the dragons kill the others. He would take Leia for himself and have Han murdered. But if he destroyed him...if he destroyed that creature... His anger rose. He would not let him harm the others anymore.

The green sword flew into Luke's hand. He lunged for the King. Vader jumped in, parrying his swing with a lunge of his own. Father and son stared each other down as the false king cackled behind them.

Leia knew Luke was in trouble. She could feel him give in to his anger. "Han," she gasped, "we have to pick up the pace! Vader...and Luke...they're fighting..."

"Hold on, Princess." Han directed Chewbacca across the courtyard and into the main building. "We're just about there."

They'd made their way into the antechamber before the throne room when an arrow thumped into the floor near Chewbacca's feet. The Wookie stallion whinnied and stepped back as Boba Fett stepped out from behind a column. "Going somewhere?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Han was already getting off his horse. "We were just about to get into the throne room to help out my future brother-in-law."

"You're not going anywhere, Solo." Fett held out his bow. "I don't know how you managed to get out of Jabba's alive, but your luck ends here."

Han pulled his Endorwood longbow out of one of Chewie's saddlebags. "Didn't you know, Fett? My luck doesn't run out. It's never-ending." He looked over his shoulder to give Leia, who remained on Chewie, a brief grin. "Especially when I have a good-luck charm with me."

"Jabba was an idiot. He should have kept his eye on the prize, not wallowing in his own fat." Boba pulled up his own Aldranwood bow. "I won't make the same mistake. Lord Vader wants his daughter back. I'll be sitting on the easy path for the rest of my life with what he's giving me for her." He aimed for Han's heart. "He wants you dead, Solowolf, and I for one can't blame him."

Han sneered at him."Not today, Fett." Fett did shoot first. His hands were faster than Leia could keep up with, but Han's were even more so. The first arrow went right through Fett's, splintering it into bits. His second arrow hit a rope holding a crest behind the wall. Leia lead Chewie over as the heavy metal crest hit Fett right on the head. He was distracted enough for Chewbacca to kick him out the front door...and into the arms of several Rebel troops.

Han turned to the troops. "Take that guy to the dungeon. We'll deal with him later." The former thief stroked his horse's mane. "Good work, Chewie." He gave Leia a kiss on her cheek. "And good work too, Your Worship. We'll let the Rebels handle Fett. Right now, we have to save your brother again."

Leia clutched her head. "And hurry! He's...he's so dark..."

"Right." Han climbed on Chewie, and they galloped through the open door towards the throne room.

Luke was leaping all over the throne room, dodging his father's blows. He gave him just as many. Vader was surprised at how strong his son was. The boy was no longer a fledgling. This was a fully-grown man, with his own very potent abilities.

"Good," King Palapatine chuckled, as Luke landed an especially fierce blow on Vader that made him stumble back against the wall. "Good. Kill your father, and your journey towards the dark side of the Force magic will be complete."

"No." Luke stepped away, breathing hard, but more in control of himself. "I won't kill him. I can't. I'm not..." he looked up at the ugly creature before him "...not like you. Not like he is now." He pulled away as Vader gingerly got to his feet. "There was a time he wouldn't have killed, unless he had to. Father, I feel the good in you. I know the Emperor hasn't driven it from you completely."

"You're mistaken, son." Vader only shook his head. "There's no good left."

"You couldn't kill me before," Luke insisted, "and I don't think you'll kill me now." He backed into the shadows, concentrating. The shadows enveloped him, rendering him invisible.

"Give yourself to the dark magic." Vader walked around the throne room, probing the shadows with his mind. "It's the only way you can save your friends. Yes, your feelings for them are strong, especially for..." He concentrated...and hit on a particularly delicate spot in Luke's tender heart. "Sister. Your twin sister. For Leia." His mind probed further. "I made a promise to the King years ago, before either of you were born. Those hypocritical Force Knights didn't respect me. They didn't understand me. Refused me a membership on their high council. My master promised me power and respect, in exchange for my undying loyalty...and the daughter my wife was carrying. He promised to show me how to keep people from dying."

"You...you gave Leia away?" Luke couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Practically sold her?"

"I did what I had to." Vader probed harder. "If you will not turn to the dark magic, perhaps she will."

Vader had probed the one place he should have left alone. He let out a loud screech and launched himself out of the shadows...and onto his father. He didn't care what he hit. He slammed and parried at the man before him, the man who threatened the only family he truly lad left. Vader, for his part, had begun to think he'd made a slight error in judgment. His son's dark powers possibly even exceeded his own.

Driven to the wall, Luke just kept slamming his sword at his father. He finally sliced through Vader's metal hand. The iron-covered appendage and the red and black crystal sword went flying against the wall.

The King watched from his throne, cackling with glee. "Wonderful!" he hissed. "You're doing well, my new apprentice. Now, finish him off, and take your father's place at my side."

That was when Luke saw his hand. His metal hand, the one Arthur made for him. The one Vader had cut off in a rage on the roof of the prison tower in the Kingdom of the Clouds. The one that now held his sword at his father's throat. _We're more alike than we believe_ , he thought. He closed his eyes and pulled back. _Well, here's one thing we don't have in common._

Luke drew himself up to his full height before the King's throne. "Never." He threw the green crystal sword aside. It clanged against the wall with Vader's. "I'll never take up the dark magic. You have failed, Your Majesty. I am a White Knight, like my father before me."

Palapatine's yellow eyes stared hard at the young knight. "So be it," he hissed. "White Knight."

Lando saw the clouds gathering, even as the Falcon careened through the courtyard. Arthur, Cecil, and the Ewoks and remaining Rebels were rounding up the Imperial soldiers to be taken to the dungeon until further notice. Wicket jumped up and down in delight as the cart came to a quick stop before them.

 _Oooh, one of the horsie vehicles!_ Wicket gave Tauntaun's leg a hug. _Can I have a ride?_

Lando shrugged and lifted Wicket between him and Niem. "Come on, short stuff. All aboard the Falcon express!"

"May I ask," Cecil insisted, "where you plan on going? Most of the Army has been arrested, and the drawbridge is open..."

The former baron pointed at the back of his vehicle. "If you want to be in on the action, get in the back. We're going after Han and Leia."

"Captain Solowolf went to His Supreme Majesty King Palapatine's rooms to rescue her," Threepio explained. Arthur shook his head, tugging on his friend's tattered gold jacket, his fingers flying. "They're on their way to the throne room? Where did you find that out?" Arthur made gestures like he was holding a lance. "One of the captured King's Guards told you? What have I told you about talking to strangers?"

"That's where we're going." Lando flicked the reins as Arthur shoved a protesting Cecil into the now-doorless back of the Falcon. "All passengers, fasten your rope belts. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

Han, Leia, and Chewie barreled into the throne room just in time to see Palapatine raise his scaly fingers. "If you will not give in, boy, you will die!" Leia screamed as a streak of black lightning hit her brother. Chewie let out a horrified whinny.

Leia immediately ran towards Palapatine. "I won't let you hurt him!"

Han's eyes widened. Palapatine was looking less and less human by the minute. Already, he could see long spines and a snake-like tail through his cape. "Ahh. I knew you'd come back to me, my bride." His cruel smile wasn't even human anymore. It was broad and lipless and filled with needle-like teeth. "Your power is nearly equal to your brother's. I could mold it, shape it. I could even keep your brother from dying. What can that powerless wretch give you," he nodded at Han "that I can't?"

She stared into his intense yellow eyes. "Love."

"Love," the monster hissed, "is for fools." His lightning blasted in Leia's direction, enveloping the girl. She screamed, dropping the the floor.

Suddenly, two bodies blocked her at once. Leia looked up...and into a pair of pained hazel eyes. Han's arms were squeezed around her so hard, she could barely breathe. Chewie blocked them both, his angry whinnies echoing in the room. "Han..."

He grinned at her, despite the nasty burns on his back. "I love you."

She smiled back. "I know."

The demon snarled. "You...you little..." Luke had been crawling to his knees, but Palapatine turned his energy back on him. "You've paid the price for your lack of vision." The lightning became darker and even more intense, spreading over the young knight's writhing, burned form.

"Father," Luke wailed, "please!"

It was then that Vader realized that everything Palapatine had told him was a lie. This old, frail demon knew no more about prolonging life than he knew about real love. He'd killed his wife, given up his children and his human form, destroyed half the Seven Kingdoms, and for what? The evil dreams of a supernatural entity? He'd let his desire for power over-ride his soul, his very humanity.

The dark-clad war lord let out a ferocious growl, lunging at the frail demon. As he did, his armor split, revealing an enormous, spike-laden, horned being, all black and red scales and terrible claws. His eyes were still yellow...but there were flecks of sky-blue in them, a color not unlike Luke's own.

The group in the throne room watched in shock as Vader slashed his claws into Palapatine's back. The smaller demon hissed, turning his lightning and his razor-sharp claws on his former follower. Chewie grabbed Luke by the back of his armor and yanked him with the rest of the group as the two demons slashed, bit, and threw lightning at each other.

They leaped through a stained-glass window and up the castle walls, finally making it to the roof. The sky was thick with dark clouds and jagged, white-edged lightning as the entire heavens seemed to split open, unleashing a storm of the likes that had never been seen. Luke, Han, and Leia wobbled to the window, clutching each other for dear life. Wedge and the Emperor Dragon saw it in the sky, just over the drawbridge. Lando and the group in the Falcon watched wide-eyed from the courtyard.

"You tricked me," Vader hissed. "You never cared about saving Padme, or making the Knight Council give me a better position. You only wanted my children's Force magic and my title as King of Naboo."

"Yesss," snarled the bony lizard-like creature that slithered around him. "I gave you what you wanted. I cursed you with true power. That's what power is, Skywalker. It's burning, blackness. It's taking what you want, when you want."

"If that's magic," Vader panted, "you can have it. I'm human. I'm not a monster!"

Luke gasped as the black and red dragon-like demon finally lifted the snake-like demon over it's shoulder, ignoring the black magic lightning spreading around him. He threw the creature over the castle walls and into the very lightning raining down from the heavens. It split the creature asunder as its remains were dashed on the jagged edges of the crystal mountain bellow.

"Whoa," Lando exclaimed as the black and red dragon on the roof started to wobble, "that boy's comin' down! Everyone clear the area!"

Ewoks, horses, Imperials, and Rebels ran for cover as the winged demon toppled to the ground, landing with a noisy thud in the courtyard below. Luke, Leia, and Han rode out on Chewie as the dragons came in for a landing near the drawbridge.

Luke was the first to reach the dragon. To his surprise, it was looking less and less animal-like by the minute. A blue light surrounded the creature. When it subsided, it looked more like a rather tired, pale-faced, heavily scarred old man in the remains of black armor...but his eyes were a beautiful, clear shade of sky blue. "Luke..." he whispered.

"Father, I won't leave you here." He nodded at Han and Leia, hand in hand behind him. "We won't leave you here. We have to save you."

"You already have. Luke," he rasped, "you were right about me. Tell Leia...you were right."

"Father!" Luke started. "Father!" It was no use. The pale man in the armor finally sagged in his arms, gone for good. Luke wept hot tears of sorrow over his father's body as it vanished all together, leaving the scorched black armor behind. Han put an arm around Leia, who leaned into him. Wicket threw himself comfortingly around her leg. Chewie nudged her good shoulder. Wedge lead the Emperor Dragon to Luke to try to comfort him.

As Luke continued to weep over the armor and the rain began to slow, something very strange happened. Han saw it first, from behind Leia's back when he embraced her. Bast Castle was slowly...changing. Really changing. He finally tapped Leia's good shoulder. "Uh, princess, wasn't this place a lot uglier a few minutes ago?"

Leia finally turned around, her brown eyes wide. Everything around them was slowly changing. Teardrop-shaped blue lights twinkled and bobbed and gushed around the castle. The walls became glowing white granite trimmed with sparkling gold. The roofs were smooth, pale gray waterstones. The Death Tower was now covered in delicate green vines. Stone pots of flowers appeared in every corner. A magnificent gold fountain came to life in the center of the courtyard, bubbling and sparkling. Velvety green grass shot up around their feet. The gargoyles and statues of evil wizards were replaced by benevolent winged angels. The black crystal mountain turned a softer white.

"Hey," Lando grinned, "look at all of us!" The blue Force magic now swirled around the many creatures gathered in the courtyard. The dragons' scales were polished to a hard shine. The Ewoks and Wookie horses' fur was brushed and and neatly braided. The Falcon now had brighter paint, its scratches and splinters mostly gone. The Rebels wore green and pale tan uniforms with copper-colored trim, comparable to the finest army. Lando was back in his blue and gold baron administrator's uniform, complete with silk-lined cape. Cecil's gold butler's uniform was as stiff and crisp as ever. Arthur wore his blue and white footman's livery.

"Hey!" Han made a face at the light surrounded him and Chewie. "What are you doin'?" When it subsided, he was clad in the black velvet prince's costume he'd worn to the ball in Aldran three years before, including the silver crown. Chewie had a matching silver bridle with a tall white plume, his mane and tail braided with silver and black ribbons.

"Luke!" Leia rushed over to her brother as the light reached her. "Look!" Luke finally wiped his tears, in time to see the teardrop lights surround him and his sister. Her black gown became snow-white, trimmed with black and white flowers and tiny crystals cascading around the ruffled skirt. The feathers became a collar of white and black beads and beautiful white and black roses. White roses and a silver tiara nestled in her short dark hair.

Luke, still sniffling, his face red and blotchy, finally looked at himself. His own Master Force Knight armor was no longer dented from battle, but polished and new, his green sword by his side. "Leia," he barely breathed, "what's happening?"

"Our tears heal, Luke." Leia took him in her arms. "That's how I healed Han's eyes at Jabba's Palace." She smiled. "You did it, Luke."

There were murmurs and gasps of surprise as not one, not two, but six people surrounded by blue light suddenly appeared in the courtyard. Luke recognized the smallest as Yoda, the tallest as Qui-Gon, and the man next to him as Ben Kenobi. With them was a strapping older man in Master Force Knight armor, his kind face beaming benevolently. He held the hand of a lovely middle-aged woman in the fanciest white gown Luke had ever seen, awash with ruffles and beading and an enormous standing collar. She had big brown eyes like Leia's, and long dark hair that curled gently around her shoulders.

"Mother!" Leia went to her immediately. She was shocked when she realized she could take her hand. "Mother, how..."

"We're one with the Force magic now. Luke's healing magic lifted the curse." The older man put his hands around her. "I just had to bring her to my daughter's wedding."

Han joined them. "If you're Skywalker senior, does that mean..."

Sir Anakin Skywalker nodded. "Yes. Marry our daughter and be happy. I saw what you did for her in the throne room. You've proven your worthiness a hundred times over." He put up a finger. "But if you ever run off or hurt my daughter in any way, I will find a way to haunt you until the end of your days." The lazy grin that lit up his weathered face looked strangely like his son-in-law's. "You hear me?"

Han grinned back. "Yeah, I hear you."

Wicket couldn't stop trying to poke at these straight blue humans. He jumped back when his paw went right through the strange little goblin! He squeaked in alarm and rushed to Leia, hiding behind her gown.

Yoda sniffed. "Serves you right, it does. As a creature of the Woods, you should know not to play with magic."

Wedge hurried over to Luke. "So, I get to meet the family?"

Luke nodded. "These are my masters, my father..." He was already starting to cry as he turned his hand to the woman. "And my mother."

"My poor boy." Padme wiped his tears away. "I wish I could have kept both of you. Bail and Ben and I thought it would be safer if you were hidden in a place your father would never go."

"Mother..." he whispered, overwhelmed by emotion.

Lando grinned at Qui-Gon. "Nice mustache. We need to exchange grooming tips sometime."

Qui-Gon gave him one of his gentle smiles. "I'd like that, Baron."

Han turned to Lando. "Hey, the Falcon made it through ok, right?"

His buddy lied like a trooper. "Not a scratch."

Arthur hurried over to Anakin, his fingers flying. Anakin's fingers flew back...and so did Padme's. They both embraced him. Cecil's owlish brown-gold eyes were even wider than usual. "Your Majesties?" he gasped. "How...how did I ever forget you? I worked in your service for years! Anakin's mother gave me my first job in Tatoonie, helping her at home."

Yoda sighed. "Put a memory spell on you, we did. Talk too much, you do. Spell was strong enough to outlast the one who cast it. Healing here broke it."

Cecil glared at Arthur. "You knew all along?" His fingers flew. "You've known it for years, and you never told me?" Arthur made a face, his fingers jabbing at Cecil's throat. "I do NOT talk too much, you ridiculous little tin-maker!"

Hera's group had come out with their first trunks just as the magic started. They all now wore Rebel uniforms, except for Sabine, whose pink armor now shimmered like hard candy. "You..." Kanan went to Ben. "You're Sir Benjamin Kenobi!" He turned to Anakin. "And Sir Anakin Skywalker, the greatest Force Knight team that ever lived!"

Ezra hurried over with him. "Wow, really? Kanan told me about you guys! You're legendary!"

"I'd sign autographs," Anakin said with a wink, "but I can't grasp things too well right now."

Ben just sighed. "Anakin, we really have to get going."

"Wait!" Han turned to Leia. "Aren't Force Knights also priests? Can you, you know, marry people?"

"Priests, we were." Yoda nodded. "Not often a part of our duties, it was, but yes, couples we can wed."

Leia took Han's hand. "We have at least a thousand witnesses, plus my brother and parents. Let's do this now." She turned to Luke. "Would you marry us, brother? I wouldn't ask anyone else."

Luke took both their hands, his sunny smile nearly matching the golden sunlight that now lit up the sky. "I'd be happy to, sister."

The marriage ceremony was beautiful. Luke performed it on the balcony overlooking the drawbridge and the river, the one leading to the Dagobah Swamps. The Enchanted Woods had never looked brighter, greener, or happier. Admiral Ackbar and his squid-men saluted them on their seahorses. She swore she saw Maz Kantana's chicken-footed inn nestled in the back, where she and her patrons could get a perfect view of the ceremony. Mon Mothma waved from on top of Attich, her short red locks and white robes standing out in the crowd.

The bride was glowing. The groom was nervous – his horse had to nudge him out to the balcony. His best man in the gold cape chuckled. The maid of honor with the brown-green braids and flower girl in pink armor tossed petals from the flower urns around the happy couple. A tiny bear in brown leather proudly held the bride's train all by himself. The blue Force ghosts all looked on proudly.

The moment the ceremony ended, the crowd in the valley cheered. The four standing on the balcony took each other's hands, lifting them in triumph. Wedge came over to Luke on the end and took his hand. Wicket pushed around Leia's dress. She picked him up and settled him on the balcony, so he could see the crowd. The two servants waved and grinned.

When they came out to the courtyard, the dragons, horses, Ewoks, Rebels, and Force ghosts all bowed before them. Han put his arm around his new wife. She winced when he touched her shoulder. He let out a hiss when she rubbed his burned back. "As soon as everyone clears out, we're going to the nearest doctor to get looked at." He kissed her. "I don't want to miss out on our honeymoon."

She sighed. "I don't know if we'll be able to have one. There's so much to do..."

"Oh no." Lando put his arms around them. "You crazy kids go and have fun. We can take care of things until you get back."

Luke still held Wedge's hand. "We'll be all right, sister."

Leia frowned. "Well... 

Han shook his head and lifted her into his arms. "Your carriage awaits."

"We have to go, too." Anakin took his wife's hand. "May the Force be with all of you."

Luke hugged both of them. "Thank you, Father. Mother."

"You're welcome." They hugged Han and Leia before stepping away. Luke, Han, Leia, and everyone in the courtyard watched as the blue lights faded into the blue horizon.

Luke went to the Emperor Dragon. _Thank you, my friend._

 _No, thank Master Antilles._ The Emperor Dragon nudged Wedge. _He lead the charge against the remaining Imperial dragons. Without him, we wouldn't have made it._

"He did, did he?" His grin now looked rather like his father's. "Hey Wedge, want to go flying?"

Wedge smiled back. "I'd love to!"

"You boys go flying. I'm going to take my bride on our honeymoon." He swept Leia over to the Falcon as Lando hitched up Chewie and Malla. "If anyone needs us, we'll be at Maz's Inn in the Kingdom of Takodana." He looked over at Lando, making a face. "Hey, is it me, or is the back door missing?"

"It's you." Lando climbed on Tauntaun. "I have things to take care of over in the Kingdom of the Clouds. Who knows? If I talk really nice, they might even give me my job back."

Arthur scurried into the driver's seat of the Falcon, followed by Wicket. Cecil glared at them. "What makes you think you can drive a vehicle?" Arthur's fingers flew. "You've repaired them all your life? That means nothing!" He managed to climb in next to Arthur. "Would you move? I know how to drive! I drove us that one time in the Kingdom of the Clouds, remember?" Wicket squeaked. Arthur's fingers went even faster. "I couldn't stop the carriage then? I'll show you stop, you overweight coal scuttle!"

Luke and Wedge laughed and waved from their dragons as the Falcon took off like a shot over the drawbridge, despite Cecil's wails. There was now a stone path that lead down the mountain. It would never be guarded by evil magic again. Han and Leia were too busy kissing in the carriage to wave back. Lando and Mon Mothma did wave from their mounts as they galloped towards the main roads. The Ewoks and Rebels and Wookie stallions all waved good-bye as they streamed over the drawbridge towards home. Maz turned her chicken-footed inn back towards Takodana. She was going to have her third and fourth royal customers in a week's time. She had to be ready for them. The crew of the Ghost bounced down the hill, waving out the windows and on the driver's seat, the back cargo area stuffed to the gills with trunks and coins and and paintings.

Above them all, blue lights watched, glowing softly in the morning sunlight, until they finally bobbed off towards the Enchanted Woods.

Upon Leia's return from her honeymoon, she discovered that she and Luke were, indeed, the hereditary Prince and Princess of the Empire. Han and Leia became King and Queen of a restored Naboo, once and for all uniting it with their neighbor Aldran. The Enchanted Woods were declared sacred during their reign, its animals and flora never to be disturbed or damaged. Cecil and Arthur remained their devoted butler and blacksmith.

Luke stepped down as Prince of Naboo, taking over as the King of Tatoon. The small desert country flourished under his gentle rule, distributing much land and finances to the poor grain farmers and passing several successful laws limiting both organized crime and the king's power. Wedge Antilles was his regent and his closest adviser.

Research and letters exchanged to the Kingdom of Corellia revealed that Han was, indeed, the son of a noblewoman who had been disowned by her family for marrying a gypsy. She and her husband were killed during the Empire's invasion. Though there was much bickering and arguing on his mother's family's side, Han was able to retrieve his title and most of his inheritance. He used this to aid the struggling Corellian gypsies and past stricter laws against poaching, especially for Wookie horse herds.

Most of the gold and luxury items confiscated during the siege of Bast Castle were eventually sold for the money to help the poor and repair the towns, villages, and cities destroyed by the Empire during its brutal reign. Among the first restored were Aldran Town and Lothal Village. They became two of the most prosperous and beautiful metropolises in the entire Alliance.

The Dragons, Ewoks, and Wookie horses all returned to their respective homes. They sent representatives to Naboo's council and stayed in touch with their new friends. Wicket was the first Ewok to sit on the Naboo council.

Though Lando wasn't able to get his job back at the Kingdom of the Clouds – general or not, they still didn't appreciate the mess he left – he figured he was happier that way. He preferred the open road and the lure of his favorite casinos to sitting behind a desk. He frequently stopped and visited the King and Queen of Naboo and the King of Tatoon when he was in their vicinity, amusing them with tales of his travels.

Every year, on the day of their anniversary, Han and Leia somehow managed to disappear for a few days. Only a select few, including Luke, knew they spent those days at Maz's Inn, enjoying her rabbit stew and her company and remembering how they'd first fallen in love.

Luke knew he wasn't alone now. He had friends, family. He had his parents, even if he couldn't always see them. But most of all, he had the knowledge that he'd freed the kingdoms and discovered what neither Palapatine nor the Force Knights had ever understood. The true magic of the Force came not from without, but within. It came from their relationships.

The real magic came from love. And that made all the difference.


End file.
